Unraveling
by Zane's Girl- Jo
Summary: What if the alternate reality was really the reality? How would the crew adjust? Starts after the crew returns in Lost. Jo/Jack.
1. Chapter 1

**Unraveling**

**Rifiuto: Non ****Miriena**

******Summary: What if the alternate reality was really _the_ reality? How would the crew adjust? Starts after the crew returns in _Lost_. Jo/Jack. **

They were placed in quarantine chambers, surrounded by three walls of stainless steel and one of glass, forced to watch people come and go like lab rats in cages. Forced to pace back and forth for the entertainment of those on the outside. Grace lost her temper, Fargo attempted to use his power as the head of GD, Zane threatened to sue if probed, Holly's claustrophobia was getting the better of her, and Allison spent her time banging her fists against the plexiglass.

"Can someone please tell me what's going on? _Please_!" A head popped into view, and Allison relaxed.

Jack.

"Allison?" His whisper was so full of shock, she almost couldn't hear him. He stared at her for several minutes, almost as if he couldn't believe he was really staring at her Dr. Allison Blake... It unnerved her, but she brushed it aside.

"Oh Jack, thank god. What the _hell_ is happening?"

"You're... back." He stared at her as if he hadn't seen her in... years. He glanced over his shoulder, as if watching for something or someone to come down the hall.

"Uh yeah, clearly, but Andy's going a bit overboard with the decontamination protocals. We've only been gone a few minutes."

"You've been gone a lot longer than that."

"What do you mean, how long?"

He looked over his shoulder again, almost skittish. Then, he turned back to her and swallowed. "Four years." She felt her breath catch in her lungs.

"What?" She struggled to take in his words. Half-rationally, she choked out,_ "Four years?"_

"Four years and... two months."

It wasn't true. It _couldn't_ be- they hadn't been gone for four years. A few matters at most. Matters? No, minutes. Minutes! She was so exhausted, there was so much to take in, that she was getting her thoughts jumbled. "That can't be. I mean... For us it was nothing, a... a flash, maybe _maybe_ a few hours..."

He shrugged. "We did everything we could. Even Senator Wen used all the resources at her disposal... We searched for a _year_ before the DOD shut us down."

Senator Wen... she didn't trust that name... or the person that owned it. But she couldn't think about it now. Not when she was this exhausted. Not when Carter was throwing all this on her at once.

"Faster than light technology... it could have made us experience time passage differently, but... _years_..."

"Henry and I searched for longer, but uh... eventually we... gave up hope. Henry hasn't been the... same. None of us have." He put his hands in his pockets. She let it sink in, before,

"Where are my kids?"

"They're fine. Fine. They're fine. Kevin's in college."

_"College?"_

He nodded. "College. Yeah, Harvard. Early admission, top of his class. Zoe's in med school, so she's keeping an eye on him." He said. Allison nodded, remembering the brooding girl she'd met when they first came to Eureka.

"Jenna?"

"She's as smart... beautiful as her mother." He said softly. She saw a spark of recognition in his eyes, and relaxed slightly. "Andy gives me clearance, so I can take you to go see her." She started, surprised to hear those words come out of his lips. She struggled to speak.

"A... _Andy_ is head of GD Security?"

"There have been a lot of changes since you've been gone." Jack told her, once again glancing over his shoulder. "I'll let them do the medical exam and then we can go." He backed up as two men in HAZMAT white suites took over.

Two chambers down, a man ran the device along Zane's waist and lower, checking for levels of unknown substances.

"Hey, easy with taht thing, I'd like to have kids someday."

A soft, throaty chuckle caught his attention as Josephina Lupo, Jack Carter's partner, came into view.

"Heh. Oh god help us."


	2. Chapter 2

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

Zane instantly brightened, smiling at her as he went to the window.

"Ah, relax Jojo, I said someday."

She smiled back at him, crossing her arms.

"Well, apparently I haven't eaten in four years and I'm starving. Want to grab lunch? Catch me up on what I missed?"

She stared at him, startled. After a moment of thought, she nodded, giving him a quick smile.

"Yeah."

She waited out in the lobby for him as he checked out of quarantine. Once he was free of the confining box, he jogged over to her and pulled her to him. "Hello beautiful." He whispered, pecking her quickly on the lips. She blushed and pulled away quickly, embarrassed, but for an entirely different reason. She tugged on her ponytail, shuffling her feet nervously before looking up.

"Come on, let's go."

And before Zane could say anything, she dashed out of the quarantine chamber like her feet were on fire. It took a couple minutes for Zane to get over the shock, but once he did, he followed, eventually catching up with her on the street.

"Hey, what's up with you?" He asked, taking her arm. She looked up at him.

"Cafe Diem for lunch?" She interrupted, pulling away from him and making her way across the street towards the cafe.

"Jo, what's wrong?"

"Nothing's wrong." She replied over her shoulder.

"No, something's wrong. You're jumpy, like something's happened. You're acting like... like..." He stepped in front of her, taking her shoulders. "Like our coming back is a _bad_ thing." He said, shaking her gently. She bit her lip nervously. But then her normally stubborn personality showed itself.

"I'm not saying it's not..." She started.

"But?" Zane asked. She thought a moment, glancing down at his shoes. Then, her head snapped up and she pulled away from him. "Outside or in?"

"What?" He asked.

"Where should we sit? Outside or in?" He shrugged. Apparently he wasn't going to talk to her now. But get something in their stomachs, and they'd be up and able to talk. "Outside?" She took his silence for agreement, and hurried to the cafe. "Sit and I'll go in and let Vincent know we're sitting outside. Oh," She turned back when she reached the door. "What do you want?"

"Um..." He was still surprised that Jo was avoiding talking to him. "Just a triple shot espresso."

"Latte?" She asked. He furrowed his brow.

"Um.. sure."

He watched her disappear into the cafe, clearly confused. Taking a seat at the table, he went back over what Jo had told him- which hadn't been much. Everytime he'd tried to broach the subject, she'd change it, pull away, or run off. It was like she didn't remember the mission leaving. Her return caused him to break out of thought, and he looked up at her, smiling. She smiled back before taking a sip of her latte.

"So, what's been going on since we left? Anything major that I need to know about?"

"Ah..."

"Here we go, a triple shot espresso latte with an extra sugar." Vincent said, setting a cup down in front of him.

"Thanks Vin." Vincent nodded.

"Welcome back." Zane smiled at him. "Thanks." He looked around, noticing the two Andys walking by, the

"... computers are running GD. The people are really okay with that?" Jo laughed softly.

"No. They don't have a choice. Senator Wen mandated it. Carter and I still protect the town, not that there's much to protect it from."

Zane looked down at his cup, letting the information sink in. "So robots are in charge, you're back in uniform, are there any other changes i should know about?" He asked, watching a couple of kids skateboard down the street passed parked cars and passersby. Jo glanced over her shoulder to see Vincent watering a plant. The cafe owner nodded towards Zane, mouthing "Tell him." She shook her head. He nodded again, and again, she shook her head, firmer this time. When Zane looked back at Jo, Vincent had rushed back into the cafe.

"There is this... this one thing that..." Jo noticed something out of the corner of her eye. "Ah... do you mind, we're trying to have a private conversation here." When Zane looked up, he couldn't hide the surprise he was sure Jo saw in his face.

Something that looked like something out of a Star Wars movie floated several feet away from them. With sleek, slender wings, and an almost triangular head, it focused on Jo and Zane and only them.

"Let's just go inside." He said, starting to stand. Jo stood, stopping him.

"No." She turned her attention back to the floating flat iron. "We're _talking_, so back off." Jo snapped. The thing didn't move. But after a moment, it rose higher and tilted forward.

"Return to your seat." Zane's eye widened at the robotic voice coming from the machine.

"Or _what_?" Jo asked, raising her eyebrows in disbelief. Something on the machine flashed red, an alarm sounded.

"You have ten seconds to comply." Zane cringed at the voice in the iron. "Ten... nine... eight..."

"What you can't handle me on your own?" Jo asked, stepping forward.

"seven... six... five... four... three... two... one."

"Jo... hey, just take it easy!" Zane said, stepping in front of her. The thing fired what looked like two small ninja stars, that attached to Zane's shirt. He heard Sheriff Carter yelling at him, but couldn't make it out. Suddenly the stars shocked, and he was thrown over the fence and onto the ashalt.

"_What_ did you _do_?" Jo demanded, hopping over the fence and joining Allison and Carter by Zane's side.


	3. Chapter 3

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 2.**

She quickly checked her cell for any messages, and finding nothing, slipped it back into her pocket. Poking her head around the doorway, she watched the nurses, before returning to her pacing in the hall.

Five minutes.

Ten.

Fifteen.

Twenty.

Her fingers twitched as she reached into her pocket and she grabbed her phone. She slipped out of the hall and around a corner into a small aclove. It took her several minutes to dial the number because she couldn't keep still.

"Come on, come on, pick up."

Moments passed before the other end responded. She paced anxiously, her nerves frazzled by the crew's return.

"Hello beautiful."

As soon as she heard his voice, she relaxed. "Hey." She whispered.

"What's going on?"

She shrugged. "Nothing much. The nurses are checking Zane's vitals right now, so... I miss you."

His chuckle made her heart swell and she leaned back against the wall. The sound of his voice in her ear was like a fix. She hated to admit it, but she was an addict, and he was her drug.

"I miss you too." She thought a moment, rocking back and forth on her heels. "What are you up to?" She shrugged, even though he couldn't see her.

"Waiting to hear the report on Zane. Bored out of my mind, but seeing you at the end of the day will be worth it."

"Same here."

"So, should we have pizza or-"

"Officer Lupo?" She looked up, seeing a nurse round the corner and come her way. She held up a finger before turning away.

"I've got to go. I'll see you tonight?"

"You bet." She smiled, knowing he was smiling the same way. "I love you, Jo."

"I love you too."

She hung up, slipping the phone into her pocket and turning to the nurse. "What is it? How is he?"

"He's fine. He's still in slightly in shock, but I think it's more from the shock of being back than from the electricity. Give him a couple days, and he'll be able to go home. And you need to go home and get some rest as well, Officer. We've all had a long day. Let us take care of Mr. Donovan for now. Go home to your family." Jo nodded.

"Let me just go say goodnight and I'll get out of here." The nurse nodded, giving her a gentle push towards the door. She slipped into the room and watched him for several seconds. They'd given him a relaxant, and he was now sound asleep. "Good night, Zane." Then she slipped out of the room.

The sight of the door was a welcome relief as she pulled up. She sat in the car, thinking back on everything that had happened in the last few hours. The crew was back- Zane, Holly, Fargo, Grace... even Allison, who, by mistake, had gotten trapped in the ship before liftoff. They were back...

Which was going to make things a lot harder. There was no way they could get through this...

_No_ way.

Taking a deep breath, she got out of the car and made her way to the door, telling herself that they'd get through this...

She didn't even remember opening the door; the only thing she saw was him coming towards her, a smile on his face. As usual, whenever she saw him, she burst into a smile and reached out for him. He hugged her close, kissing her cheek.

"Did you tell him?" He asked, pulling away. She shook her head.

"I... couldn't. I tried, Jack, I did, I just..."

"Hey, it's okay." He said. "I couldn't tell her either." He replied. She sighed, pulling away.

"We can't keep this a secret any longer, Jack. Everyone else in Eureka knows-"

"Not tonight, Jo. It's too much. Tomorrow. Once everyone's gotten over today."

"Right. So I'm going to stay at a friend's."

He picked up her clothes from the sofa and held them out to her. She hugged them to her chest. Then, he moved towards her and kissed her.

"I'll walk you out, Jo." She nodded, licking her lips, her eyes closed. They slipped out of the door, shutting it as softly behind them as they could. Once outside, she put her things in the car and turned back, leaning against the door. He went to her, cupping her cheek lovingly. They communicated only by eye contact, even as her hands ran up and caught his collar, pulling him closer. Their lips crashed together as their hands reveled in the feel of each other. He nudged his lips against her neck, pressing her further against the door, lacing his fingers through hers.

He pulled away gently, staring into her eyes. "We'll get through this, Jo, I promise. You have to trust me."

"I do." She whispered, reaching up and taking his face in her hands. "Believe me, Jack, I do. I love you."

He rested his forehead against hers, pulling her close. She sighed, enjoying the feel of being in his arms. But it couldn't last. They both had to get some sleep, and they'd always have tomorrow to do this.

"I love you." He whispered, kissing her quickly. Then, he stepped back and let her climb into the car. With one last wave, she drove off.


	4. Chapter 4

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Hendrick248848 for reviewing 3.**

"Where did they go?" Allison asked, once Andy was gone and everything was quiet. Jack looked around, before going to the ladder and climbing up it. He pressed against the trap door, but to no avail.

"To have their brains wiped."

"Wiped?" Allison cried, turning to look at him. He nodded, not looking at her.

"What the hell happened here?" A voice broke through the wood, and Jack pounded harder.

"Jack? Jack!"

It was Jo.

_"Jack?"_ Suddenly he realized that the second voice belonged to Zane. And he didn't sound happy.

"We're down here! There's something covering the trap door!" He called. They heard the sound of whatever had fallen being moved, followed by the shuffling of books or papers. Moments later, the trap door opened and he looked into Jo's eyes. She held out a hand, not bothering to mask the worry in her eyes. She helped him up, quickly ran her hands along his cheeks and chest, making sure he was okay before letting him help Allison.

"I can get out myself." She replied, climbing up and pulling away from him.

"Are you okay?" Jo asked, running her hands along his cheeks in a worried way.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said, taking her waist and kissing her quickly. She relished in the kiss, relieved that she was okay.

"When I got your message-"

"You have to be kidding me. You two- I don't believe it. I can't." They looked up, Zane backed away from them, putting two and two together.

"Believe it." Allison said, wrapping her arms around herself. She glared at Jo, who glanced her way before turning to Zane.

"We were going to wait until it was the right time to tell you." Zane scoffed.

"Right Jo. The right time. Is this what you were trying to tell me at the cafe? That you were seeing Carter?" He demanded.

"We aren't seeing each other. We're... we're together. We're in love." Jo replied.

"_In love?_ With _Carter_?" Zane said.

"_Yes._ With Carter! I'm in love with Carter! We've been together four years- ever since Senator Wen called off the search- even before! Okay?" She snapped, turning back to the sheriff. Jack wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. Two sets of footsteps entered the garage, sending everyone on edge.

"We just got your message, Jo. Sorry we couldn't be here sooner, we- Whoa. What the heck happened here?" Holly asked, looking around the building.

"Carter stole my girlfriend." Zane said, gesturing to the two in uniform.

"We have bigger issues, Zane!" Jack shouted.

"What issues?" Fargo asked.

"The Andys took Henry and Grace." He replied. "And we need to figure out how to keep them from getting their brains wiped."

Everyone fell silent for several minutes, thinking of how to get them out. Holly broke the silence.

"I think I have an idea!"

The car pulled up in front of GD. Jack looked out at the forboding building, worrying that their plan wouldn't work. He took his gaze away when someone laid his hand on his arm. Jo gave him a small smile.

"It'll work, Jack. Trust me." He took her hand, squeezing. Then, he leaned over and captured her lips in a kiss that he refused to break. Eventually, though he did. She gave him another quick kiss as she climbed out of the car. "Break a leg."

The plan had to work. It had to. Everyone was in their places, the curtain was raised- so to speak- and everything was beginning. Slowly. Fargo and Holly had placed the firewall, while Carter and Allison distracted Andy. Meanwhile, after Zane and Jo managed to get the firewall down and shut down S.A.R.A.H and the Andys, he decided to say exactly what was on his mind.

"I can't believe you let Carter steal you from me. After all, you got over my untimely death pretty quickly." He said as they landed near GD. Jo groaned, turning to him.

"I'm sorry you found out that way, but I did nothing wrong. Carter didn't steal me from you. I needed somebody and so did he. Okay? We helped each other... Carter... I helped him and he helped_ me_. And it... it evolved. I fell in love, Zane. That's not a crime. I'm sorry if you can't see that." She settled back in the seat, refusing to look at him.

He sighed, running a hand over hsi face. He landed the flyer in front of GD. "Jo-"

As soon as the doors opened, Jo was outside and heading towards headquarters.


	5. Chapter 5

**Rifiuto: Non ****Miriena**

******Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 4.**

She rushed through GD's headquarters, her heart racing due to the last few moments of fleeing from the droid and her conversation with Zane. All she wanted was to see Jack.

"Jack?" She rushed through the building, her heart in her throat. "Jack!" She turned a corner, and spotted them through the glass of the door. She rushed inside, leaving Zane to catch up several feet away. He turned, and relaxed when he saw her.

"Well, it obviously worked." He said, wrapping her in his arms. He kissed her forehead, holding her close. The couple only looked up when Zane entered.

"Jo, can't we talk about this?" Zane demanded. She looked back at him before pulling away from Carter.

"There's nothing to talk about, Zane." She replied, as Henry and Grace joined them.

"Come on, let's get out of here." Henry said, laying a hand on Jo's back. She nodded to him, before pulling away from Jack and heading for the door. Zane grabbed her arm, turning her back towards him.

"Jo, please, we need to talk about this!" She yanked her arm away.

"I don't need to talk to you about anything."

"But-"

"There's nothing to talk about, Zane! I've told you! I fell in love with Carter and he fell in love with me! We're _happy_! We did nothing wrong! Carter didn't, I didn't! Okay? So leave me alone!" Then, she turned and strode out of the room. Grace turned towards Carter.

"You... and Jo are together?" She looked at Henry. "What happened?"

"I'll explain it to you later, Grace." Henry replied as he led the others after Jo. Once outside, Jack rushed after Jo, grabbing her arm before she climbed back into the car.

"I said leave me alone-"

"Hey, hey, it's me." She relaxed at the familiar tone. Moments passed before she turned to him, leaning back against the car. "Are you okay?" She nodded.

"Yeah. Kind of. I just... I can't believe Zane..." She sighed. "I just..."

"I know. I know, but you have to let them all readjust to everything. Four years is a long time to adjust to. Everything is still new to them. Give them all some time, Jo. Even Zane." She closed her eyes briefly before reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. He held her close, rubbing her back.

"... I am reinstating all Astreaus crew members to their previous posts. And Jo Lupo as my head of security. We have our town back!"

Applause filled the room followed by cheers and whistles at Fargo's statement. She watched Zane disappear, down the hall, and had the urge to call Jack.

"He'll come around, just give him time."

She felt the small smile begin as he wrapped his arms around her from behind. She sighed and turned to face him.

"I don't know about that, Jack." He pressed his forehead to hers and closed his eyes for several minutes. When he opened them again, he took her face in his hands and kissed her.

"Come on, let's go home."

Dinner was a tense affair; Allison had stayed for dinner, to the delight of Jenna. As for staying the night, she preferred to stay and sleep on Zane's couch, than to subject herself to Jo and Jack's secret glances and coy touches. So after Zane picked Allison up, Jack joined Jo on the sofa, pulling her close.

"Allison hardly ate anything tonight."

"She probably wasn't hungry." Jo shook her head, pulling away from him.

"No Jack, it was because of me. Before Astreaus, she was planning on moving in with you. And since Astreaus..." Jo looked down at her nails, picking at the pale pink manicure Jenna had given her weeks earlier. "... since Astreaus, she feels like I've taken her place, like I've stolen you from her..." Gently, he reached up and cupped her cheek.

"It's not your fault, Jo. And it's not mine. We can't control what our hearts' desire. Or who they desire. And... if it makes you feel any better, Zane thinks I stole you from him."

She snorted softly. "They're a perfect pair. Jealous and angry and going after the people they claimed to love." She looked down at her hands again.

"And so are we."

Her head snapped up and she stared at him with wide, horrified eyes. He watched her for several minutes before realizing what that simple statement had implied. "I... I mean... we're a... a perfect pair. Not... not the jealous and angry and going after... people part. The... the perfect pair part." She chuckled softly, shaking her head.

"That's one of the reasons why I love you." She told him, reaching up to cradle his face in her hands.

"Which is?" He prodded.

"Your explanations. You always make them so complicated when the explanation itself is so simple."

He smiled at her, his hands moving to her waist as they lay back on the sofa. They shared several chaste kisses, relishing in the feel of each others' arms. Just as Jack reached down to work the buttons on her shirt...

"Daddy? Jo?"

The couple broke apart and looked up. Jenna stood in the middle of the room in her pink flowered pajamas, her hair in pigtails, a teddy bear in her grasp. Jo sat up, backing away from Jack so fast, her feet couldn't have been on fire. Jack sat up as Jenna climbed onto the sofa between them.

"What's wrong, Jea?" Jo asked, reaching out to stroke the girl's hair. She looked up at them.

"I had a nightmare."

"What was the nightmare about?" Jack asked. Jenna turned to look at him.

"Mama took you away from Jo." The little girl said, fear in her eyes.


	6. Chapter 6

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to badkidoh and Ghostrider for reviewing 5.**

As the girl settled back against the pillows and Jo tucked the blankets around her, Jack said,

"No one is going to take me away from Jo. Or you. I promise."

"You promise?" Jenna asked. Jack nodded.

"I promise."

"Pinky-swear." She said, holding out her pinky. Quickly, Jack did, giving the girl a smile. When they finished the swear, Jenna held her hand out to Jo, who did the same.

"I pinky-swear, Jea. No one is going to come between Daddy and I. We will always be together. All three of us."

The girl gave them both a big smile. "Goodnight, sweetie." Jo said, kissing her forehead. Then, she went to the door and waited for Jack to kiss her goodnight. Once the door was closed behind them, Jo started downstairs, making her way into the kitchen. She started the coffee and leaned against the counter, Jenna's words running circles in her tired mind.

_"Mama took you away from Jo."_

She sighed, running her hands over her face, trying to wipe the words from her mind. They made her sick. She only looked up when the coffee finished brewing, and quickly poured herself a cup before adding cream and sugar. Unlike most of her coworkers, she couldn't take her coffee black. She closed her eyes, relishing in the taste as it slid down her throat. The scent calmed her and the taste helped her relax and she sighed in pleasure.

"Mmm."

"Don't tell me you enjoy your coffee more than me." Her eyes snapped open and she turned.

"For now, yes. Would you like some?" She asked, holding out the cup. He took it, giving her a smile as he took a sip. Instantly, his face controted and he shoved the cup back into her hands.

"How can you drink it like that?" He grabbed another cup and poured one for himself, taking a sip. "All sugary and sweet and... yuck."

"I thought you liked sugary and sweet things." She asked, setting her own cup down and wrapping her arms around his neck. He thought a moment.

"I do. But I also prefer certain things spicy and wild. Like you." He set his cup down and wrapped his arms around her waist, holding her close. She chuckled softly, nudging her nose against his. He kissed her gently, squeezing her waist. She again nudged her nose against his, staring into his eyes. He held her against the counter, running his hands up and down her back. "I love you, Jo."

"I love you too, Jack." She said, surprised at how easily the words rolled off her tongue. Even after four years, that simple phrase still surprised her. The easy of the words in her mouth, and the exciting feeling that filled her stomach as she spoke. But suddenly, Jenna's words came floating back to her and she pulled away, picking up her cup and taking a seat on the sofa. After a moment, Jack followed.

He set his cup on the table and turned to her. She looked down into her coffee and took a shaky breath. She didn't say anything, but Jack knew how Jenna's words had upset her. She kept up a brave face for the little girl, but now, in the quiet of the living room, she let her worry get to her. He reached out and lifted her chin.

"It's not going to happen, okay? Allison is not going to take me from you. I would never let that happen. I couldn't leave you or the kids. I love them and you too much. I love you. I _don't_- and can't- love Allison."

She sighed. "But you did love her." She whispered. "Nearly five years ago before Astreaus left. You asked her to move in with you. You were going to start a life with her. So you did love her." She pulled away.

"You're right. I did. I know. But you said it yourself, Jo, that was five years go." He took her cup and set it on the table and then took her hands. "I don't love her anymore. When I'm near her, I feel nothing but... but sadness for her. Sadness that she's going to adjust to this badly. I don't feel any sort of romantic feelings for her. And when she kissed me tonight, I felt nothing. Absolutely nothing."

Jo's head snapped up and her eyes widened in horror.

_"She kissed you!"_ He sighed, as she pulled away and got to her feet. Tears filled her eyes and she began to shake, the stress of the day was taking its toll on his normally level-headed partner. She went to the window, looking out. Silence filled the space between them for several minutes before she spoke. "I... I can't believe she... did you feel anything for her?" She asked, looking at her. "Did you feel anything when she kissed you? Love, longing? Because if you did, then I need to go..."

"The only thing I felt when she kissed me was awkwardness. Not the longing I feel for you, not the happiness, not the love... I felt none of that." He said, getting up and coming to her. She sniffled, reaching up to wipe the tears from her cheeks. "I feel all that when I kiss you, Jo. Longing, happiness, love- all of it and everything in between."

"But kissing Allison is exactly like kissing me, though." She said, pulling away. He pulled her back.

"Kissing you and kissing Allison are two_ entirely_ different things. There is _nothing_ that exactly matches kissing you, Jojo." He whispered, using his private nickname for her. She smiled at him as he brought her lips closer to his. "And there never will be."


	7. Chapter 7

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to badkidoh, unrealwarfang and Ghostrider for reviewing 6.**

"I can't believe they're living together!" Allison cried.

"Tell me about it." Zane replied, taking a swig of his drink. The two were sitting on opposite ends of the sofa, drinking and sharing mutual complaints about their once prospective partners hooking up. "Seeing them... watching her... making sure Carter was okay that day at the garage... it turned my stomach..."

"It's not fair. We go away for 'four years' and they move on." Allison coughed on her drink.

"It was supposed to be us. We were supposed to be together. I was going to ask Jo to marry me after we returned from the mission... I was _finally_ ready to tell her I loved her... we were going to spend the rest of our lives together..."

"Arguing, denying that you loved each other-"

"_I get it_." He said, looking at her. She gave him a drunken smile, and stood unsteadily on her feet. She stumbled towards the kitchen and pulled out a bottle of wine. It took her a few minutes to put the corkscrew into bottle, but eventually she managed to pull out the cork. The normally levelheaded doctor had gone through a lot in the last twenty four hours, and had found no other way than to turn towards alcohol to help her cope with it all. She never would have turned to alcohol otherwise.

"Carter and I were perfect together. We fit so well. We worked so well together-" Allison had made her way back towards the sofa, the bottle in her hand. She'd only had about two drinks, and had spent the majority of the time after she arrived at Zane's house sitting on the sofa balling over what she'd lost. Now, she was angry, and drowning her sorrows in alcohol- a practice that the exceedingly light drinker wasn't used to.

"And now they're working together." Zane whispered, taking the bottle from her hands and filling his glass. "We belong together... we... we're geniuses. We should be able to figure out what happened! We should be able to break them up! They don't belong together!" Zane cried, slamming his glass onto the table.

"He's raising my daughter, and I was supposed to be raising her with him! Me! Not... not..."

"Jo, I know! I just... Carter stole my girlfriend. He... he _stole_ my girlfriend. They... they're _together_..."

"It makes me sick." Allison said, taking another swig from the bottle.

"Seeing them together..." Zane downed the wine he was nursing and poured another glass. She nodded, staring off into space.

"I want him back!" Allison cried, throwing herself against the pillows bursting into tears. After a moment, Zane set his glass down and pulled her up. He cradled her in his arms, rubbing her back in comforting circles. She burrowed into him, burying her face into his chest and letting her heartbreak take over. He kissed her hair, holding her close.

"It'll be okay, Allison. I promise. We'll get them back. We'll make sure they realize that they don't belong together. I promise."


	8. Chapter 8

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 7.**

The bell over Cafe Diem rang as Grace entered and quickly scanned the area. She spotted the back of Allison's dark head and made a beeline towards her.

"Hey! I've been looking all over for you."

Allison looked up, giving her a big smile. Two days had passed since her binge drinking with Zane, and she was trying hard to adjust to the situation, but it wasn't easy. Jenna sat beside her, holding several playing cards.

"You want to play the winner?" She asked, giving her a smile. Grace sat down across from the little girl.

"I wish I could, Jenna. Maybe next time, though."

Jenna sighed, putting her cards down. She only half-listened to the conversation between the two women, and only perked up when they mentioned data.

"You mean you're gonna find out why my mom was gone for so long?"

Grace nodded.

"I'm just glad to be back." Allison told her, patting her arm. The little girl looked at her mom, but noticed the door open and a familiar figure enter. Her eyes lit up as Jo walked through the door. Her hair pulled back in her customary ponytail, she'd traded her deputy uniform in exchange for a pair of slimming black slacks, button down blouse and black jacket.

"Just a chai with a double espresso shot, Vin."

"How are things with you and Carter?" He asked. Jo sighed.

"They're good. We're... adjusting to having the crew back. It's just... hard."

He set her drink on the counter and took the cash she held out. "Here you go, Jo." She gave him a big smile.

"Thanks, Vin." He nodded and turned to take another customer's order before turning back to her.

"Just give it some time, Jo. Everything will settle down soon. Just give it time."

"Thanks." She took a sip of her drink and give him a smile.

"Jo!" Allison and Grace looked up from their conversation to see Jenna getting out of her chair and rushing towards Jo. "Jo, I won Uno!" Jo looked up, and her eyes widened in delight as the little girl threw her arms around her waist.

"Hey! Good job!" She said, giving her a hug. "I'm so proud of you!" The girl pulled away, taking her hand and swinging them.

"Can we go hiking today?"

"I wish we could, Jea, but I have to help with the Astreaus today. Maybe tomorrow." The girl's face fell. "But, I'll tell you what," She set her cup down and knelt down to the girl's eye level. "how about we make cookies tonight with Daddy?"

"But Daddy can't cook." Jenna said. Jo nodded.

"I know. So how about we make the cookies and we let Daddy decorate them?"

"Okay." She threw her arms around Jo's neck and squeezed. When Jo straightened, saw Grace and Allison at the nearest table. Taking Jenna's hand, she went to them, deciding it was better to get this over with than drag it out. They were working together, so they had to play nice.

"Hey. I'm going out to the Astreaus to help you with the offload."

"Great." Allison muttered through clenched teeth. Grace gave the deputy a tense smile.

"Well, get your backpack and I'll drop you off at school." Jenna took her backpack from her mother and slung it over her shoulder, and then took Jo's hand. Grace and Allison watched as the two slipped through the doors and headed towards Jo's car.

"I hate her." Allison muttered. Grace looked at her.

"Hate's a strong word, Ali. Use it wisely." She stood, going to the door.

"I _am_ using it wisely." Allison replied. Gently, Grace laid a hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle squeeze before leaving the cafe.

"Goodbye Allison." Vin called as he went to the counter, setting down several dishes. She nodded, turning and following Grace.

Jo glanced out the window as she put the car into drive and pulled away from the curb. Grace and Allison were standing on the sidewalk having some sort of discussion. Shaking her head, Jo turned her attention back to the little girl in the backseat.

"So, what are you going to be learning today?" She asked, glancing back at Jenna. The little girl shrugged.

"We're learning about the Civil War." Jenna replied.

"The Civil War? That's an awful lot of information for a five-year-old to learn."

"Well, mainly just the Gettyburg speech."

It took Jo a minute to figure out what she was talking about. "You mean the Gettysburg Address." Jenna nodded. "Well, that's a very important speech made by Abraham Lincoln when the Civil War ended."

"What was it about?"

"Well, it's about... how people need to stop fighting and work together. How we can't wage war on another person or people and expect to come out unharmed. Because no one comes out of a war or battle unharmed. No matter if they're right or wrong."

They fell into silence the rest of the way. When they pulled up to the school, Jo climbed out and grabbed Jenna's bag for her. She walked the girl into her class, and gave her a hug.

"Have fun today, Jea!" Jo told her. The girl waved to her before rushing to put her stuff away.

"Bye Jo!"

She watched the girl for several minutes, not realizing one of the teachers had come up behind her.

"Thank you for dropping her off today, Mrs. Carter." Jo looked at her.

"Oh, um... Jack and I... we... we aren't..." She stopped, biting her lip. "Thanks." Then, she turned, heading out to her car.

"We'll see you after school, Mrs. Carter!" The teacher called.

This time, Jo didn't bother to try and correct her.


	9. Chapter 9

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"How did the offloading go?"

Jo sighed and crumpled back onto the sofa, her feet hitting the floor hard.

"Torture." She looked up, accepting the steaming cup of coffee Jack handed her. "Thank you." She whispered. He kissed her gently before sitting next to her.

"That bad?" She didn't respond for several minutes. Once she finished sipping her coffee, she said,

"Allison glared at me the entire time. Every time I opened my mouth and mentioned us and Jenna or us in general, she'd glare at me like I was a child stealing candy." He reached out and gently trailed his fingers along her cheek.

"I'm sorry, Jojo. Just give her time. She'll come around eventually." She nodded.

"I know. I know." He took a sip of his coffee and set the cup down, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her to him. "We did find a ten-inch long squid that turned out to be genetically altered. Other than that and Allison glaring at me, nothing else happened." She reached over and set her cup on the table next to his and then snuggled into his arms, resting her head on his chest. She tucked her arms between their bodies, and closed her eyes briefly, listening to the sound of his heartbeat.

After several minutes, she pulled away and sat up, picking up her coffee cup again.

"Um..."

"What's wrong?" She kept quiet. "Jojo, what's wrong? Did Allison say something today?" He asked, suddenly protective.

"No, Allison said nothing. She just... just glared at me. But... but no, it's not that." She looked up at Jack. "Today when I dropped Jea off at school, one of the teachers called me... Mrs. Carter."

He didn't say anything, his eyes wide. She climbed to her feet and headed into the kitchen. Setting her cup on the counter, she opened the fridge and pulled out the cream, adding it to her coffee. For several minutes, the only sound was the spoon hitting the inside of the cup.

"Wait a minute... she... she called you..."

"Mrs. Carter. I... I know, Jack, and I... I tried to correct her, I did..." She interrupted, rinsing the spoon off and putting it in the sink. Then, she turned to him. "I couldn't... I just... I hate decieving her, but..." She put the cream back in the fridge, slamming the door shut.

"Woah, woah. Slow down. She thought... that we..." He gestured between the two of them. "were married?" She nodded.

"Yes." Jack chuckled softly, causing her head to snap up. "What is so funny, Jack?"

"I just... I can't believe you're getting so upset about being called my wife." She lowered her head, embarrassed. "Do you... want to be my wife?" He asked after a moment. She didn't say anything at first. "Jo?" He reached out and tilted her chin up to look into her eyes. Fear clouded the dark depths. "Jo, I love you. I would love to be your husband. Would you..."

She took a shaky breath, relieved to hear the words coming from his lips.

"I would love nothing more than to be your wife, Jack."

He gave her a wide grin, and took her face in his hands, kissing her deeply. She backed up against the sink, and wrapped her arms around his neck. He pulled away, reaching up to wipe the tears from her eyes.

"So was that a yes?"

She nodded. "You bet."

"You're getting married?" The two broke apart, turning to see Jenna standing in the kitchen. Her eyes lit up. Jack let go of Jo and turned to the little girl.

"You were supposed to be in bed."

"Are you really going to marry Jo, Daddy?" Jenna asked, rushing to the couple. Jo nodded.

"Yes. We're getting married, Jea." Jo told her, as Jack scooped her into a hug. He kissed the top of her head, and the girl pulled away, throwing her arms around Jo.

"When are you getting married?"

"We just decided to get married tonight, Jea. It'll be a while before we actually get married." The girl's face fell. "But when we do, you can be in the wedding. Okay?" Jo asked.

"Okay."

"Good, now, bed." Jack said, kissing her on the forehead and giving her a gentle push. "And stay there this time!" The little girl rushed upstairs, disappearing from view. They heard the sound of a door closing not long after. Once she was gone, Jack turned back to Jo. "We're getting married."

She nodded. Her arms went around his neck, and she stared into his eyes. Something was niggling at her mind. He could tell. After a moment, she said,

"What about Allison and Zane? How do we tell them?"

He thought a moment. "We don't. For now. Just.. go along as though everything's normal, and when the time is right, then we'll tell them." She nodded.

"Sounds good." He kissed her gently, walking her back towards the sofa. They settled on the sofa, never breaking the kiss. Her hands ran down his chest, and around his waist, and she moved closer, climbing into his lap. He reached up, removing the hairtie from her hair. The pin-straight raven locks rained down her back like a waterfall, and he preceeded to tangle his fingers within the strands. She nudged her nose against his, and pulled away to stare into his eyes.

"I love you, Jack."

"I love you, Jojo." He whispered back, kissing her again. "Or should I say the soon-to-be Mrs. Carter." She laughed softly.

"Daddy?" The two broke apart, and turned to see Jenna standing near the sofa.

"What is it, sweetie?" Jack asked, as Jo climbed off his lap and settled into his arms.

The two looked at each other, surprised by the words that came out of her mouth.

"Mama can't take you away from Jo anymore."


	10. Chapter 10

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"Every time I look at her, I want to wring both of their necks."

"You aren't the only one." Zane looked up as Allison joined him.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be... taking care of that ten-inch slug you and Jo found?" He asked, making his way down the steps towards the research lab at GD.

"Already taken care of. Besides, I'm a doctor, Zane." Allison said, following him. "I take care of people, _not_ squids."

He chuckled softly, but stopped in his tracks when he saw Jo. She was talking to one of her colleagues, so engrossed in the conversation, that she didn't notice the two people who hated her most staring at her from halfway across the room.

"She looks so happy." Allison muttered through clenched teeth. Dressed in her typical black, she had forgone her usual uniform, but Zane and Allison could still see the small handgun at her hip.

"What do you say we put our plan into action?" Zane asked, glancing back at Allison.

"Sounds good to me." Taking a deep breath, Zane strode towards Jo, going over what he planned to do silently. She looked up, giving him a quick, tense smile.

"Zane. What can I do for you? Something wrong?" He shook his head.

"No, but I need to talk to you." She shrugged.

"About what?" He glanced around.

"Alone." One perfectly plucked eyebrow raised in suspicion.

"I don't think so, Zane." She replied, moving past him. Allison watched from across the room, following her every move.

"Come on, Jojo, you know me. We're in love." Her head snapped up and she turned to look at him. She was in Zane's face in minutes.

"_Don't. Call me. Jojo_. That nickname is _not_ for you to use! I don't love you, I love_ Carter_. Get it through your thick skull, Donovan! We were _not_ together before you left, and we will _not_ be together now that you're back. Okay?" She turned to start walking again when Zane grabbed her arm and pulled her into the hall and into an aclove. He pushed her up against the wall, even as she struggled to break free. "What are you doing, Zane? Let go!"

He didn't say anything, instead, he leaned down and pressed his lips to hers in a gentle kiss. As soon as his lips touched hers, she jammed the heel of her boot into his foot. He cried out and pulled away and she shoved him aside, rushing down the hall, wiping her mouth on her jacket sleeve. She stormed past several other researchers and up the stairs. Allison turned to watch her and the two women locked eyes.

When Jo finally rounded the corner, she pulled out her cell and dialed Jack's number. He didn't pick up, so she let him a message.

"Jack, it's me. We need to talk. It's about Allison and Zane... there's something off about them both, and it's worrying me. I'll see you soon. I love you."

Once she hung up, she returned to work, keeping a close eye on both Zane and Allison.

She looked up, relaxing when she saw Jack closing the door. He watched her for several minutes before finally asking,

"So, what was so urgent that we need to talk?" She sighed. Jenna sat at the table, finishing her homework. She looked up, and upon spotting Jack, got up and rushed over to give him a hug. "Why don't you go finish your homework upstairs, sweetie. Jo and I need to talk."

"Okay, Daddy." The girl gathered up her things and went upstairs, leaving her door open so she could listen. Once she was gone, Jack went to Jo and wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Now, what was so urgent? You sounded upset." She looked up at him.

"Zane... Zane.."

"Zane what?" He prodded gently. She took a deep breath.

"Zane... cornered me at work today and kissed me." She swallowed, making a face.

"Kissed you?" He asked. She nodded. "Did you... did you_ enjoy_ it?" He asked, feeling sick to his stomach.

_"Jack!"_ Her eyes widened in horror.

"I was just asking." He said gently. "What did he say before he kissed you?"

"He told me that he and I were in love and that we needed to be together. And then he... he called me Jojo and kissed me." She blushed, ashamed. "It was only a quick kiss on the lips, and I... I stepped on his foot." He chuckled softly. "And, when I went to call you, I looked up and... Allison was watching me."

"That's my girl." He said, rubbing her back. "And as for Zane kissing you... give him time. He's struggling to deal with being back here. He needs time. They all do. And Allison... she's taking all this hard. Leave her alone and let her adjust. Time, Jojo. We all need time."

He held her close, rubbing her back. She burrowed into his chest, letting his words sink in. But even so, it didn't feel right. Something was off with both of them, and she didn't like it. She knew that Zane and Allison were struggling, but their little display of creepiness today did more than just worry her; it frightened her.

When they went to bed that night, they stopped by Jenna's room and kissed her goodnight. As they went to the door, Jenna sat up and reached for Jo.

"They can't take Jo away from us, Daddy. We love her."

"They won't take Jo away from us, sweetie." Jack told her, going to her and stroking her hair as she settled back against the pillows. Jenna looked up at them.

"Yes they will."

Jo shook her head. "No one- _no one_- is going to take me away from either you or Daddy, Jea. I promise."


	11. Chapter 11

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 8, 9, and 10 and for unrealwarfang and Hendrick248848 for reviewing 10.**

"So, what do you say we go to the park today after school?"

"Jo and I are going to the bookstore. Want to come?" Allison put on a smile for her daughter, and took a sip of her coffee.

"Maybe next time, sweetie."

"So phase one of our plan backfired."

"Phase one of what plan?" Jenna asked, turning to look at Zane as he took a seat beside her.

"Nothing, Jenna." Allison said, glancing at her daughter. They both looked up when the door opened and Jo entered. She scanned the diner, and then took a seat across from the bar. Vin stopped by her table and set some change in front of her, whispering something to her. Both Zane and Allison watched the two, and after Vin left, they just watched Jo. She pulled out her phone and played with it, glancing up and making eye contact with the two. She turned to the side and put the phone to her ear.

Thirty minutes later, Jack entered and joined her at the table. Vin took Jack's order, and once the food was ordered, the two sat talking together in low tones. The conversation lulled softly into the rest of the background noise, and Zane noticed Jo twisting her ring finger, almost as if she were twisting a ring. He watched her for several minutes until Jack reached out and took her hand.

"Damn it."

"What? What's wrong?" Allison asked, leaning back to look at the two.

"She's twisting her ring finger, acting like she's been wearing an... engagement..."

"Ring!" Allison cried, causing everyone else in the diner to stop and stare at them. Jack and Jo shared strange looks, before returning to their previous conversation.

"Well, I'd better go. I'm running late." She said, grabbing her coffee. He leaned over and kissed her quickly before they both stood. She grabbed her jacket and headed towards the door.

"I'll walk you out." He said, placing a hand on the small of her back. They watched the two start to slip out of the door, when Zane looked at Allison.

"They're engaged." He told her, looking back at Jo and Jack. He climbed to his feet. "You're engaged, aren't you?" He snapped. The couple stopped in the doorway and turned back to him. He searched their faces, for any sign of guilt, but couldn't find any. Allison paled. After a moment, Jo said,

"Congratulations, Donovan. You figured it out. Now leave me alone."

Then, they left the cafe and headed down the street. Moments passed, before Allison grabbed Jenna's backpack and stood.

"Come on, you're going to be late." After a couple minutes, Zane followed.

On the drive to the school, Allison kept running it over in her head. Now that Jo and Jack were engaged, it made their plan that much more complicated. She had to figure out how to get Jack away from Jo...

"You're not taking Daddy away from Jo." Allison looked up, seeing Jenna watching her in the rearview.

"What are you talking about, sweetie?" She asked sweetly. Jenna never took her eyes away from her.

"Daddy doesn't belong to you. He belongs to Jo. They love each other. You can't take Jo away from us."

Allison swallowed the lump in her throat. There was no way the girl had been paying attention.

"I'm not going to take anyone away from anyone, Jenna."

"Yes you are. You're planning on taking Daddy away." Allison bit her lip.

"I just want us all to be happy- as a family." Jenna narrowed her eyes.

"We are happy. We are a family."

Allison shook her head.

"No you aren't, sweetie. Jo isn't a part of our family. She's a bad person."

They were silent for the rest of the drive, until they pulled up in front of the school. As the girl got out, she looked at Allison.

"No, you're the bad person."


	12. Chapter 12

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to badkidoh for reviewing 7, 9 and 11 and Hendrick248848, unrealwarfang, Mrs. Fantasy and Ghostrider for reviewing 11.**

"Hey." Jo jumped and looked up.

"What do you want, Zane?" She asked, heading down the hall to the research lab.

"I thought I'd stop by and see how you were doing." He said, putting his hands in his pockets. Jo narrowed her eyes.

"I'm fine." She turned down the hall, and continued on, making good leeway until Zane caught up with her.

"So, when's the wedding?" He asked, catching up to her.

"I thought I told you earlier to leave me alone."

"Now why would I do that, Jo? I'm in love with you." She stopped, turning on him.

"How many times do I have to tell you, Donovan? _I'm not in love with you! I never will be_!" That seemed to floor him for a moment, and she continued on, making her rounds to check that everything was going good and that nothing was off.

Except Zane and Allison.

As she rounded the corner, she slammed into someone. "Oh, I'm so-" She stopped when Allison looked up at her, ice in her eyes. "I'm sorry, Dr. Blake. I didn't see you." Then she moved past her, only to have Allison grab her arm.

"You're not going anywhere."

Jo turned back to her, shock in her eyes. "What do you think you're doing?"

It took a couple minutes for her to register everything, and when she did, Allison had shoved her against the wall of a small aclove.

"You listen to me, you little bitch. You keep away from Jack and my daughter. Now you can do that one of two ways- you can stay away using your own free will. But if you don't willingly leave them alone, I'm going to make sure-"

"Make sure, what?" Jo asked, pushing her back. Allison stumbled back, hitting the other wall. The doctor didn't have an answer, and she shook her head to clear the stars from her eyes. Gaining a new confidence now that her foe was back against the wall, Jo progressed towards her. "Looks like you and I have a... problem." She said, stepping up to Allison. When the doctor moved to reach for her neck, Jo shoved her back towards the wall.

"You don't belong with Carter! He loves me. He and I are supposed to be together. _We_ are supposed to raise Jenna together. Not you!" Allison snapped, pushing Jo away from her. But the deputy didn't back down. Instead, she stepped closer, giving her a good shove against the wall, enjoying the satisfying crack as her skull hit.

"I could keep batting you around like a helpless little mouse, but I am_ tired_ of_ playing_ with my _food_." Jo told her. She reached up and took ahold of Allison's throat, digging her nails into the soft flesh. "You have been going after me and my family for the last six weeks- ever since you got back- and I am _sick_ of it. I am sick of you interfering in my family's lives, and you are going to leave us alone. You understand? If you come anywhere _near_ my family, I am going to personally deal with you myself. _Got it_?" She asked, squeezing.

Allison let out a strangled cough, and Jo let her go. Zane rushed to help her to her feet as they watched Jo round the corner.

"Are you okay?" Zane asked, wrapping his arm around her waist as she nodded.

"Yeah. I'm... okay. God, she's strong."

Zane nodded. "She was a former Army Ranger. Served in Afghanistan. And she's strong, despite her size. Grew up with three brothers, so she learned to defend herself."

"How do you know?" Allison asked, looking at him shocked.

"You forget. No matter how much she wants to forget we ever happened... we did happen."

Allison shook her head. "So what do we do now?"

"Come up with a better plan."

Jack turned the news down when the door opened. Jo slipped inside and made a beeline for the sofa. She climbed into his lap and kissed him, reaching out to undo the buttons on his shirt. He let her take the lead, enjoying the taste of her.

"What did they do now?" He asked, when she ran her hands up his chest. She pulled away, ducking her head.

"Allison attacked me this time."

"What did she do, kiss you senseless?" He asked with a smile. The smile faded when he realized she wasn't laughing. "What happened? Jojo, _what happened_?" He asked, suddenly concerned. Panic filled his senses, and he moved her off his lap and stood, grabbing his jacket and making for the door.

"Jack! _Jack_!" She climbed to her feet and rushed to him, stepping in between him and the door. She put her hands on his chest, looking up into his eyes.

"She... she just... she attacked me..."

"Attacked you how?" He asked.

"She... threw me up against a wall and told me to stay away from you and Jenna, otherwise she'd do something to me." He pulled away, shaking his head.

"She_ threatened_ you?"

"Yes. But I handled it." She added, reaching up to cradle his face in her hands. "I told her to stay away from us, or she'd have to answer to me." She stopped, thinking. "Was that wrong of me?"

He shook his head, seeing the same protectiveness he'd exhibited earlier.

"No." He replied, taking her face in his hands and staring into her eyes. "It wasn't wrong at all."


	13. Chapter 13

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"What did you learn in school today, sweetie?" Jack asked as they settled down to dinner. Jenna shrugged.

"Nothing? You had to have learned something, Jea." Jo said, taking a bite of her chicken. The girl thought a moment.

"We learned about the Hatefield and McCoy feud." She replied. The two looked at each other.

"You mean the Hatfields and McCoys?" Jo asked. Jenna nodded. "That was a feud that lasted almost twenty years in the backroads of America. They killed each other off until they were forced to call a truce."

"Like you and Mom?" Jenna asked, looking up at Jo. The older woman glanced at Jack, surprised.

"What... do you mean, Jea?" Jo spoke slowly, trying to understand. The girl looked from Jack to Jo and back.

"You and Mom are feuding."

"We aren't feuding." Jo cut in, but Jack laid a hand over hers.

"Let her talk, Jo." Jenna gave them both a smile before continuing.

"You and Mom both want Daddy. The Hatfields and McCoys both wanted something- but I don't rememeber what it was- and they killed for it. They hated each other, like you and Mom and would stop at nothing to destroy the other. Isn't that what Mom threatened today?" Jenna asked, turning to Jo, who's mouth fell open.

"Ah... um... ah... how... how do you... know about that, Jea? We... we didn't tell you what happened. How did you... figure it out?" Jenna shrugged at Jo. When dinner finished, Jenna asked,

"Can I get the ice cream?" Jack nodded, picking up the plates and putting them into the dishwasher.

"Sure, sweetie. Go ahead. Jo." He looked back at his fiancee, who still sat at the table, holding a cup of steaming coffee and staring into space. "Jo? Jo!" Her head snapped up and she turned to him.

"Sorry, Jack, what did you say?"

"Do you want some ice cream?" He asked, setting a bowl in front of her.

"Oh. Ah... sure." She said, pushing the bowl away.

"Are you okay?" He sat down next to her and laid a hand on her arm. After a moment, she covered his hand with hers, giving him a smile.

"I'm fine."

Later that night, as they climbed into bed, Jack wrapped her in his arms and ran his fingers through her hair.

"What Jenna said upset you tonight."

"It didn't-" She started, but her cut her off.

"It did. I could see it in your eyes. And what happened with Allison today... it scared both you and me."

She shrugged and burrowed closer, closing her eyes. "Doesn't matter." She muttered.

"Yes, it does matter." He replied, pulling away and looking into her eyes. "Allison threatened not only you, but our family. She and Zane need to understand that what happened four- five years ago before they left is the _past_. And that you and I... us and Jenna and... whoever else comes along... are the future. Our future doesn't include them." He said, kissing her hands.

"They don't understand-"

"Then we'll make them understand." He said, lifting her chin. "And we'll start, by having the wedding in two weeks." Her eyes widened and she stared at him for several minutes.

"Wh... _what?_ Jack... we... we can't plan a wedding in _two weeks_! It's impossible."

"Oh, is it?" He asked, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her into the blankets.

"Yes." She said, sitting up before he pulled her back down and pinned her down. She stared up at him for several minutes, laughing as he tickled her. Eventually, they made eye contact. Sharing identical smiles, they closed the gap between them. Their hands moved over each other, caressing skin and cloth, like they had so many times before.

As he removed the lingerie from her body, he realized that he'd made the right choice that long ago night, admitting that he loved her. Back then, their worry had been about betraying Zane and Allison, and now- now their worry lay in keeping their family together. They had to. For Jenna. For themselves.

The next morning as they rushed about, getting ready for the day, Jenna sat watching Jo and Jack share soft conversations and intimate kisses. After she finished her juice and grabbed her backpack, she rushed to Jo, throwing her arms around her in a hug. Jo hugged her gently before taking her hand. As the three slipped out of the house and headed to the car, Jenna said,

"I'm glad you and Daddy are getting married soon. Then, maybe Mom will stay away from us forever. She's the bad person, after all."

"What... do you mean the bad person?" Jo asked as she climbed into the passenger seat. Jack started the car and headed into town, sharing startled glances with Jo. Jenna watched them closely.

"She's the bad person. She's trying to break you up, because she wants Daddy. And she's working with Mr. Donovan to do it."

By the time they'd pulled into the parking lot and dropped her off at school and climbed back in the car, Jack asked,

"How... did she know that we're planning on getting married in two weeks? Did you-"

Jo shook her head. "I didn't tell her." He thought a moment, trying to remember if he'd let it slip.

"Neither did I."


	14. Chapter 14

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**A/N: This isn't a dream world. Jenna, and Allison's problem will be explained in the next few chapters.**

**Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 12 and 13 and badkidoh for reviewing 12.**

"How can we plan a wedding in two _weeks,_ Jack? It's _not possible_."

They stopped walking and he turned to her, hands in his pockets.

"It can be done, Jo. Trust me, it can be done." She narrowed her eyes as they continued walking.

"How do you know?"

"My first marriage was... actually an... elopement with two friends and a county judge. I'd like to do things right this time."

"Right as in the white dress and the tux and the invitations and the cake..." He nodded.

"Yes. All those and more." He said, taking her hand. She gave him a small smile, even as he pulled her towards one of the tables outside Cafe Diem. They sat down, conversing in low tones until Vin showed up with their regulars. Once he was gone, Jo said,

"So I have to go looking for a wedding dress." Jack chuckled at the look on her face.

"It's not like wearing a wedding dress on your wedding day is going to give you radiation poisoning, Jojo." She looked at him, curling her lip into a disgusted sneer.

"Must I?" He raised his eyebrows. "It's just.. Jack... you know I'm not a... a girl..." At his incredulous look, "You know what I mean. It took Zoe two hours to get me to agree to the dress, and then another hour and a half to get me into it when I went out with Zane that day, and that was almost... what, eight years ago?" He sipped his coffee, listening. "I don't do girly. I haven't since I wanted to dance when I was a kid, and I gave that up-"

"You had no choice, Jojo." Jack replied, taking her hand again. "You were a little girl who had to grow up way too fast. You can't be a dancer again, but maybe our wedding can give you a little of your childhood back. Think of it that way, love. Okay?" She nodded. He kissed her gently, pulling away when Allison walked past with Zane. "There is something seriously wrong with those two."

"Tell me about it." She sipped her coffee, avoiding eye contact with the two. "No. Zane's still the smart-assed, self-centered, holier-than-thou son of a bitch he's always been. It's Allison that's different. And what's really strange, is that the two seem to be working together. _That's_ what scares me."

Once they finished lunch, the couple headed to pick up Jenna from school. As the girl climbed into the car, she asked,

"Can we go dress shopping now?"

"Dress shopping?" Jo asked, turning to look back at the girl.

"For the wedding." After a moment, she reached out and took the girl's hand.

"Not today, sweetie. But maybe in the next couple of days. All right?" The girl brightened, excited.

"Good. Because I can't wait to be the flower girl. Daddy, is Zoe going to come back and be the maid-of-honor? Where are we going to have the wedding? It should be at Town Square, that way everyone can attend. And the party will be at Cafe Diem and Mr. Vincent will make the cake." The two listened half-interestedly as the little girl prattled on. "Jo! You'll wear a dress with a heart top and a flowing skirt! And there will be strings in the back that lace like tennis shoes! And you'll carry red lilies and pansies."

Eventually, Jo turned around and asked, "Jea, h... how... why do you say that?" The little girl looked up at her innocently.

"Because it's all true."

"But none of it has happened yet. You can't just say something and expect it to be true-"

"Jojo." She turned back when Jack took her hand. "Humor her. She's a little girl who wants to involve herself in her parent's wedding."

Jo nodded, settling back against the seat for the rest of the drive. When they finally reached home and went to the door, Jenna rushed ahead, taking Jo's hand. Jack followed, smiling at Jenna's childish prattle.

"I can't believe they're getting married."

"You've been going on about this for the last two weeks, Allison, would you give it a rest?"

"How can you _say_ that? Aren't you the_ least bit_ _upset_ over the fact that _Jo_ is marrying Jack? _My Jack_!" Allison cried, turning to Zane on the sofa. He sighed, taking a seat on the arm and sipping his coffee.

"Yes, I'm upset, but I'm not stewing about it. Not right now, anyway." He muttered. Allison glared at him.

"We need to figure out how to break them up." Allison said, picking up her cup of coffee. They'd returned home immediately after seeing Jo and Jack together at Cafe Diem, and spent a good two hours trying to figure out what was wrong with them.

Zane looked up at her. She smiled at him, and he could see her eyes spark in the light. It turned his stomach.

"And once we break them up, I'm going to take Jo out back and wring her skinny little neck like the_ chicken she is_." After a moment, Zane set his cup on the table.

"Allison?" She didn't reply, just giggled excitedly. "Maybe you should lie down. You're starting to worry me."

That night, after putting Jenna to bed, Jo and Jack spent the night wrapped in the sheets, talking about plans for the wedding.

"I'll talk to Vincent tomorrow before work."

"And I called Zoe after dinner tonight, and she said that she'll hop the next flight down here and help you pick out your dress."

Jo laid her head on his chest and said sarcastically,

"Can't wait."


	15. Chapter 15

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"Come on out, Jo! It can't be that bad!"

"Jo! I want to see your dress!"

She took a deep breath, refusing to look in the mirror of the dressing room. After a moment of checking that everything was secure, the associate opened the door and let Jo head out first. Head held high, she started towards the pedestal, only to duck her head and curl inward as she got closer to Zoe and Jenna.

"Don't do that, Jo! Look up. You don't look like a bride when you're slouching." Zoe admonished gently.

"I don't feel like a bride. I feel like a little girl trying to play dress up." Jo replied softly. Jenna's eyes widened, but she kept quiet.

"Hold on, let me add the veil, and then you can turn around." Zoe and Jenna watched as the woman took a veil from a nearby display and added it. "How are you going to do your hair?"

"Um... p.. probably just... pulled back like it is."

"In a ponytail?" Zoe cried. "No! You have to have your hair in curls or a nice messy bun... it's your wedding day, Jo!"

"But I don't do... this!" Jo cried, gesturing to what she was wearing. "I'm not... girly... I'm... I'm a tomboy..."

"Even tomboys need to be the princesses on their wedding days." The associate said gently, reaching up to wipe the tears off her cheeks. The woman gave her a grateful smile. "Okay, turn around and take a look." Taking a deep breath, she did as told, facing the three floor length mirrors.

The dress was strapless, with a sweetheart bodice cut and a corset back. The gown hugged her body until it got to her hips, and suddenly flared down dramatically to the floor. Lace overlay covered the dress, and ribbon lined the sweetheart top and waist, each ribbon gathering to meet at the middle with the diamond accents- on the bodice top, between her breasts and right in the middle below her breasts. The ribbons then went down and branched out, diamond accents sat in the middle of each ribbon near her knee before the ribbon continued on to the end of the lace overlay. The veil she wore came just to her elbows, and was made of some sort of soft material; that was all she knew for sure.

Jenna let out a happy squeal. "That's your dress, Jo! I _told_ you!" After a moment, Jo raised her head. Her eyes widened and she took a deep breath. Jenna was right.

"You look gorgeous." Zoe said.

Jack looked up when Jo dropped a notebook on the table. "What's up?" He asked, setting the cup he'd been drinking down.

"She was right."

"Who... was... right?" He asked slowly, furrowing his brow.

"Jea." Jo said quickly, leaning close.

"Jo-"

"Just, hear me out, Jack." She said, sitting down across from him. He sighed, giving her the floor. "Everything Jea's said, it's come true."

"Now, hold on a minute-"

"Allison, wanting to take you away from me. Wanting to destroy our family. And... today, when we went dress shopping, the first dress I tried on, was the one she said I'd wear. The first one!"

"What are you saying, Jo? That-"

"And the flowers I'll be carrying in my bouquet? Red lilies and-"

"Pansies?" He asked.

"No. That's about the only thing she got wrong. I'm going to be carrying red lilies and birds of paradise." Jo replied, pushing the notebook over to him. Written inside it, was a list of things for the wedding, from the flowers to the food to be served at the reception.

"So, you're saying that our Jea is what? Psychic?" Jo nodded. "Jo, that's nuts!" He said, standing.

"_Nuts?_ Jack, this is _Eureka_, for crying out loud!_ Think about it!"_ She said slowly. "How else would Jea know all these small details, like the.. food for the reception and the detail on my dress..."

"You're falling victim to a child who's being thrown into chaos because her mother returned after four years!" He snapped. Instantly, Jo's eyes filled with tears and she crumpled into her chair. At first, Jack didn't buy it, until she buried her face on the table and sobbed. "Jo... Jojo, I... I'm sorry. I didn't know you'd get so upset... I..."

She shook her head, pulling away as he sat next to her and reached out to take her hand.

"Jojo, please, talk to me."

Moments passed. Nothing but the sound of her sobs filled the room. Eventually, she looked up and wiped the tears from her cheeks. She looked at Jack and took a shaky breath.

"It's not you, Jack." She told him, reaching out to run her fingers over his cheek.

"Then what is it? Is it Allison? Or Zane? What did they do now? Because if I have to, I'll file a restraining order against both of them-"

"It's not them. They didn't do anything to me." She replied, regaining her composure, once again the strong woman he loved so much.

"Then... what is it?" He asked softly. She cleared her throat, turning fully to face him now. Looking down into her hands, she twisted her finger again, getting lost in thought. "Jojo? Tell me, please."

She took a deep breath and looked into his eyes.

"I... I... Jack, I..."

"You what?" He prompted gently.

"I'm pregnant."

"Whoa." The couple looked up to see Zoe and Jenna at the freezer, two bowls halfway filled with ice cream. Zoe held the ice cream scoop and her mouth hung open in shock. "You were right, Jea."

All Jenna did was smile and pick up her bowl and spoon, taking a bite of the dessert.


	16. Chapter 16

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"We're having a baby."

She nodded against his chest.

"We're having a... a _baby_..."

"I know." He pulled away from her, propping himself up on his elbow to look at her. She lay among the pillows and blankets, the thin sheet the only thing hiding her changing body. After a moment, he reached out and gently rubbed her still- flat belly. After a moment, he leaned over and captured her lips in a kiss. "Now do you believe that Jea's psychic?" She asked when they broke apart.

He thought a moment. "I'm not saying she is, and I'm saying she isn't."

"So a maybe." Jo clarified.

"A very... very tenative maybe."

She smiled at him before leaning over and kissing him.

They struggled down the halway, one refusing to move and the other forcing her.

"I don't need to see a psychiatrist, Zane, I'm fine!"

He stopped and turned to her. "You aren't fine, Allison! You need help! There's something seriously wrong with you!" He cried, shaking her roughly by the shoulders. A door opened and a woman poked her head out.

"Mr. Donovan?" The couple turned, Zane sighing in relief; Allison struggled to break away from him. "And you must be Dr. Blake." Allison sneered at the woman. "Why don't you come on in and we'll get started-" Seeing her chance, Allison broke away from Zane and gave the doctor a good kick, throwing her face-first onto the floor. Then, as Zane helped the doctor up, she rushed from the facility, intent on finding Jack and Jo.

The wedding had been the talk of the town, and as the day got closer and closer, Allison had become worse and worse in her line of thinking. Zane, being his normally cocky self, had set the attitude aside to keep an eye on Allison, even though she insisted that she didn't need to be looked at like a child. According to Zane and everyone else, something was wrong with her. According to Allison, however, something was wrong with_ them_.

"I've loved you... for as long as I can remember, even though I didn't know it yet. I... would dream about a man with your eyes and smile, and... know that he was the one. I just... I never thought it could be you. I love you, Jack. And I... I look forward to every day hereafter, as your wife. I love you, and that's never going to change."

Allison looked up. She stood in the town square, unaware of how she'd gotten there. Slowly, she turned towards the voices, and saw the park filled with chairs and guests. They faced away from her. And in their line of sight, stood Jo and Jack, in wedding finery. They looked beautiful together; Jo in her dress and Jack in his suit.

"When I first came to Eureka, I didn't want anything to do with the town or the people. And then we met and... and after several days of arguing and angry looks, we got to be good friends. And, when the Astreaus went missing, and we lost the two people we cared about most, we found solace together, and that friendship- that sibling type love- blossomed into something true. I'd loved you, and... despite other people and situations, I've always loved you. And I always will. Now, forever, until the day we die, I love you. And I always will."

Taking a deep breath, Allison moved towards the park, only seeing Jo and Jack, exchanging rings, and leaning in for the kiss...

_"No!"_ Her scream caused every head to turn and stare in shock. "You can't do this! This isn't right!_ I_ should be marrying you! Not Jo! _Me!_ _I love you, Jack! I always have! You can't do this to me, to us!"_ But before she could speak again, Zane grabbed her from behind, just as Jo moved to march up the aisle towards them. Jack grabbed her arm, stopping her.

"I'm sorry, Allison, but we have no choice." Zane told her; she struggled against him, trying desperately to break free. And then he looked up, into Jo's horrified eyes. And suddenly, he remembered what was happening here. Two orderlies from the hospital took Allison from Zane, carrying her to a car and shoving her into it. "I...I'm sorry..." He didn't finish, instead turning to join Allison.

"Why didn't you go after her?" Allison cried when he'd climbed into the back of the with her. Zane looked at her.

"Because there's no point, Allison. They've exchanged rings, they've said their vows, it's done. All they have to do is kiss. They're officially husband and wife, we can't do anything about it now."

She shook her head, refusing to believe it, and turned to look out the back window, in time to see Jack pull Jo into his arms and kiss her.

Zane sat outside the psychiatrist's office, waiting for Allison's evaluation to finish. Two hours passed, two more hours than any usual evaluation. When the doctor did come out, she sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Zane rose to his feet.

"Well?"

"Mr. Donovan, I think you'd better get ahold of everyone who cares or works with Allison. Mr. Fargo, Ms. Martin, Mr. and Mrs. Deacon, and Mr. Carter and Ms. Lupo. This is something you all need to hear."


	17. Chapter 17

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"_What_ was _so_ important that you had to interrupt our _wedding reception_?" Jo demanded, storming down the hall towards Zane. Jack, Grace, Holly, Henry, and Fargo followed, all dressed in their finest. Jo still wore her champagne- colored wedding dress and veil, looking every bit the blushing bride, despite the desire to kill flashing in her eyes.

As soon as she got close enough, she reached out to grab ahold of his neck, when Jack grabbed her from around the waist and held her close, talking to her. Eventually, he managed to calm her down and she stayed by his side, her arms crossed, a glare on her pretty face.

"Ah, good, you're all here."

Everyone looked up to see the psychiatrist slip out of the door and into the hall. She looked from Jo to Jack and the other guests and back, suddenly putting two and two together.

"Mr. Carter and Ms... Lupo?" She asked, looking up at the couple. Jo leaned into Jack's arms.

"Actually, it's Mr. and Mrs. Carter, as of... three hours ago." Jo said, wrapping her arms around her husband's waist. The psychiatrist nodded.

"My apologies for the confusion. And congratulations."

"Thank you." Jack whispered.

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but, what exactly are we doing here?" Holly asked, stepping forward. Her light green halter dress brought out the red in her hair.

"It's about Dr. Allison Blake." The psychiatrist said. Jo rolled her eyes.

"What about her?" Jo asked.

"Is she okay?" Fargo asked, concerned.

"Did something happen to her?" Holly asked softly.

"She's not hurt, is she?" Henry asked.

The doctor held up her hand, silencing the questions. "Dr. Blake is... suffering from the effects of the mission to Titan. She has... become emotionally worn and mentally unbalanced, in regards to certain people in her life." She glanced at Zane before continuing. "She's... Dr. Blake's suffered ENPTSD- Emotionally Nuerological Post Traumatic Stress Disorder."

"Which _is..._?" Jack asked slowly, raising his eyebrows. The psychiatrist glanced to him.

"Coming back after four years away, and seeing all the changes that have gone on in those four years- particularly with you two-" She said, motioning to Jo and Jack. "Has caused Allison to have a... mental breakdown of sorts."

"'Of sorts'? How do you have a mental breakdown _'of sorts'_?" Jo demanded, crossing her arms. She didn't believe a word the woman was saying, and was starting to think that Allison had planned the whole thing to get at Jack.

"Dr. Blake sees you being with Jo as the life she should have, Mr. Carter. The life she would have, had she not been caught on the mission. Jo, essentially, is the one who took away all of Allison's hopes for a happy future with you and Jenna."

Jack grabbed Jo's arm as she stepped forward to slap the woman. He whispered to her softly, calming her.

"Go on." Grace said. Zane glanced at Jo, who reached down and laid a hand on her stomach. The doctor nodded, continuing.

"She appears to be living in some sort of fantasy; in her mind, you and Jo aren't together, and the two of you- you and Allison, Mr. Carter- are... living the life she should have had; a marriage, a family. She's starting to cross reality with fantasy, and is unable to distinguish from the two."

"So it's a form of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder that _only_ targets the brain." Jo said, putting the pieces into place.

"Yes." The new bride nodded.

"What about her relationship with Zane?" She asked softly. She cradled her stomach, an attempt to protect the child growing within from the psyhiatrist's words. Zane watched her closely, taking note of her body language and facial expressions, noticing the way her hands almost seemed to cradle her middle. He shook his head. It couldn't be...

His head snapped up when the psychiatrist mentioned him.

"Right now, it appears that Allison is happy with Mr. Donovan. If they are happy, let them be and maybe he will be able to help her get through this. ENPTSD _can_ be managed if the person has someone around them that keeps them calm. As long as she stays away from you and has no contact with any of you- Kevin, Jenna, both of you-, she should be able to get this under control."

"And the reality? The fantasy?" Jack asked.

"It will always be with her, because the mission will always be with her. But as _long_ as she remains calm and relaxed, she won't have any problems with it acting up again, and she'll be able to see reality for what it really is. It will take time, but eventually, she will get better."

Jack pulled his wife into his arms, holding her close.

"I'm going to keep her overnight for seventy-two hours observation. I'm sorry I had to call you all out here. And congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Carter."

They thanked her before leaving. Zane hung back, watching the happy couple. Stopping in the doorway, Jack leaned close and kissed Jo sweetly on the lips, as the sun lit them from behind. He clenched his fists, wanting so much to strangle them both, but if he did, he knew he'd be where Allison was now. And that was the last thing the two of them needed.


	18. Chapter 18

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to badkidoh for reviewing 14, 15, 16 and 17 and to Hendrick248848, fictionlover4 and Mrs. Fantasy for reviewing 17. **

The new couple caught a flight to Fiji, spending two stress-free weeks outside of Eureka. No bank robberies, no jumping timelines, no switching bodies or exploding machinery. Just two weeks alone together, swimming in the ocean, snorkling, making love on the beach as the sun set. They thought of no one back in Eureka except Jenna.

"It's wonderful here." He nodded, sipping his coffee. Jo curled up into the chair across from his at the table in their suite, wrapped in only a white robe, her long raven hair pulled back in a messy updo. He pushed a plate of fruit towards her, and poured a cup of herbal tea, handing it to her. She accepted it with a smile, leaning over to steal a kiss. "I don't know about you, Jack, but I don't ever want to return to Eureka."

He chuckled softly.

"I agree, but we have to. Our life is in Eureka."

She sighed and took a bite of mango. They ate in silence before Jack got up and got dressed. When she finished, she slipped into her bathing suit and grabbed towel. She wrapped the towel around her waist and went to him, running her hands up his chest.

"How about we go for a swim?" He gave her a sly smile and quickly changed, taking her hand as they left the hotel room and headed down to the pool. They returned after two weeks in Fiji, itching to see Jenna and eager to prepare for the baby.

Jo settled down in the passenger seat after her doctor's appointment. She sat staring at the first sonograph photos of their baby. Tears began to prick at her eyes as she looked at the images of her baby. Gently, her hand reached down to cradle her growing belly and she couldn't help smiling. Jack watched her out of the corner of his eye, noticing the range of emotions flashing across her face.

They pulled up in front of the house, and got out. Jack took her hand as they made their way to the front door. Once inside, Jenna rushed to them, excitement in her eyes. It being Memorial Day, the schools were closed; Holly had offered to watch Jenna as Jack took Jo to her doctor's appointment. Now, the little girl rushed to her parents and threw her arms around them.

"What did the doctor say?" She asked, looking up at Jo. She bounced up and down on her toes excitedly. "Can I see the pictures?" Silent, Jo handed the little girl the sonogram photos. Jenna's eyes went wide. "Holly, look! That's my baby sister!" Holly nodded; the little girl's excitement was contagious.

"I see!" She hugged Jenna close, before turning to the couple. "Are you excited?"

"Very." Jack said, wrapping his arms around Jo.

"I'm nervous. This is... my first." Jo said, voicing her fears for the first time.

"It'll be okay. I'll be here. I've done this before." Jack said, smoothing her hair away from her face. "You'll be a wonderful mom." He kissed her temple.

"Well, I'd better get home. I'll see you both tomorrow. Congrats again." Holly said, squeezing Jo's hand.

"Thank you, Holly." Jo said. They watched the girl skip out to her car, and drive off before closing the door. Jenna had taken the photos and was sitting on the sofa, waiting for Jo to join her. Once the young woman was seated beside her, Jenna curled into her side and laid her ear on Jo's growing stomach.

"You're getting so big! I can't wait until you get here! We'll play dress up and make cookies with Daddy and Jo... you'll love it here. Daddy and Jo love us both very, very much. And they love Kevin and Zoe... they're your siblings too, you'll meet them soon..."

Jack and Jo watched Jenna continue to talk, enjoying the childish prattle of the little girl.

"Give me the gun, Jo."

"It's _my_ gun!"

"And you're carrying _my_ child! Now hand it over!"

She glared at him, holding the unloaded gun protectively to her chest. Fargo had just forced Jo to take paid leave, seeing as the baby would be there any day. The first three months had gone by relatively problem free, but now, the emotions were starting to grate on Jack's nerves. "Let... go..."

"So just because I'm pregnant, I can't use any of my guns?" She asked as Jack ripped the firearm from her hands after a minor struggle.

"Not until the baby's born." He replied, going to his desk and putting the gun in a drawer. He locked it and then returned to her side, kissing her. "Okay?" She sighed, nodding.

"What do you mean there's a_ technical glitch_? Do you know what a 'technical glitch' means in _Eureka_? It's not a_ normal_ glitch!" Jack cried, rushing through GD. He skidded to a stop at the research lab, his eyes landing on Zane, Grace and Holly working frantically to solve whatever the glitch was. Jo rolled her eyes, laying her hand on her belly. She shut her phone and slipped it into her pocket.

"Would you relax? There's no need for you to get so frantic, Jack. It's not like I'm going into labor."

He paled. "You... you aren't... are you?" She shook her head.

"No."

"Good." He sighed in relief. Kissing her quickly, he looked into her eyes. "I have every right to panic, Jo, you're due any day. And... this is Eureka, after all." She nodded as Jack joined the others and began getting caugh up on what was going on.

"I_ know_." She said, making her way down the steps to join them. "Now what's the..."


	19. Chapter 19

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"It's short circuiting somehow. One minute, it's working just fine, and the next, sparks fly and this... yellow goop comes out." Zane said, motioning to the yellow blobs that seemed to be devouring everything in sight. Not just devouring, but turning everything to rust.

A reverse Midas effect.

Jo didn't notice the goo or pay attention to the conversation. The only thing she focused on was the pain that was slowly getting worse.

"If we... can figure out a way to contain it, maybe we can control it-" Grace started, looking over Zane's shoulder as he frantically tried to work something out on the last surviving computer.

"Jack."

"We could just turn it off." Jack suggested. "What?" He asked, surprised to see the others glare at him.

_"Jack!"_ Jo's scream brought everyone's focus away from the problem and onto her. At the look on her face, Jack rushed to her side and helped her up, keeping an arm tight around her waist. "Look, I'm sorry that this... whatever it is is taking over the research lab, but... I have bigger problems right now." She struggled to remain calm, her normal, strong attitude showing through the pain. Instantly, Jack turned to the others. "I need... I need to lie down."

"Remain calm, Jojo. It'll be okay. You can lay down in Fargo's office and relax, and then we'll go to the hospital and have the baby. All right love?" She nodded, squeezing his hand as a contraction came. In not time at all, they'd reached Fargo's office, and the director had led the couple to the sofa. Obviously, he'd wasted no time in getting his imported furniture back.

"Now just lay back and breathe, Jo. I'll go get Grace and she can look over you."

"What?" She cried, struggling to sit up as Jack gently pushed her back. "Grace isn't a medical doctor!"

"Would you rather we brought Allison down from the psych ward to deliver our baby?" Jack asked, his expression serious. His wife laid back down and took a deep breath, struggling to keep calm. She squeezed Jack's hand with each contraction.

"How is she?" Grace's voice floated towards the pair as she followed Fargo into his office.

"What's going on with the goo?" Jack asked, brushing the flyaway strands away from Jo's forehead.

"Oh, it's... started manifesting. Right now, Zane is holed up in the Internal Tech Lab trying to figure out how to fix the problem. If only we could figure out how to... reverse it somehow..."

"How did Midas reverse his curse?" Fargo asked as Grace checked over Jo. The young woman whimpered as the pain got worse.

"He didn't." Jo replied, sitting up. "Not without help." She whimpered, squeezing Jack's hand. "He asked Dionysis to take the gift away from him, and the god told him to wash his hands in the river, therefore washing away the curse." A cry escaped her throat, and she bit her lip. Grace checked her quickly.

"This baby is not going to wait... he's coming now." Grace sent Fargo to get a bowl of water and several towels. She called Holly, and once the woman arrived, Grace had her play messanger between them and Zane. Even though she was currently in labor, Jo still gave her input whenever she could. "Jo, I want you to push okay?" The younger woman nodded. "On the next contraction, Jo."

"Zane says that... he's tried every sort of liquid, but it's not-"

"Tell him to try... apherial... glycosemine. It should start to... break it down... Oh God!" Jack held her close, and Jo grabbed the front of his shirt. "Just one little question, Jack." She started, staring into his eyes.

"Yes?" He asked.

"How... the _hell_... have you survived this long? If I still had my gun, you wouldn't be walking, let alone living."

"Jo, I need you to keep pushing." The young woman did as told, letting out a whimper. She- and no one else but Holly who kept running back and forth recieving and relaying information- didn't notice the ugly yellow goop starting to slide across the walls. "Keep pushing, Jo, that's it. Here come the shoulders."

"I never should have let you take my gun away!" Jo cried, digging her nails into Jack's hand. One more push, and Grace lifted a squirming baby girl for her parents to see. A flash of light momentarily blinded everyone and then was gone. All Jo and Jack saw was their baby girl. After several moments, Grace laid her in Jo's arms and cut the cord before checking both mother and daughter over and going to the door.

"I'll go check on Zane. We'll give you some time alone." Neither noticed the others slip out of the room.

"She's beautiful, just like you." Jo gave him a small smile before kissing him.

"Thank you." She whispered. Her hard, tough shell had cracked- like it had so many times over the last four years- and he was seeing a whole new side of the woman that was now his wife and the mother of his child. They looked down at their child, and Jack asked,

"What should we name her?"

"I think Jea said that her name was... Erica." Jo narrowed her eyes in uncertainty.

"Erica?" She nodded. "Did she mention a middle name?"

"No. So that means we can pick that." Jack gave her big smile.

"So what should her middle name be?"

"What do _you_ think it should be, Jack?" He thought a moment. "Samantha."

Jo looked down at her daughter, unable to hide her tears. "It's just right for our little girl."


	20. Chapter 20

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Hendrick248848 and Mrs. Fantasy for reviewing 19 and Ghostrider for reviewing 14, 18 and 19.**

"She's so pretty! Why is she so tiny?" Jenna looked up at her parents, who sat together on the sofa, watching their children.

"Because she's only a day old. She'll get bigger, don't worry." Jack told the little girl, as he pulled her onto his lap.

"What's her name?" Jenna asked, reaching out to run her fingers over her sister's small hands. The baby reached up and took ahold of the girl's finger, an action that made the girl squeal in delight. They shared a knowing smile before Jo said,

"Erica. Erica Samantha."

"Really?" Jo nodded. Jenna looked down at her sister. "We can call her Eri. Or Ria."

"Or Sam." Jack said, making eye contact with his wife.

"If we call her same, people will think we're talking about our _son_. I don't want her to go through that. I went through that when I was growing up because my brothers insisted on calling me either Jo or Joey, and then never explaining that it was short for Josefina, not Joseph." Jo took a sip of her water before adjusting her hold on her daughter. "Anyway, now we can get back to normal."

"Normal?_ Normal?" _Jack pulled away to look at her. "Jojo, I don't know if you've forgotten, but... this is EUREKA! THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS NORMAL!" Jo rolled her eyes, and leaned over to kiss him on the lips in an attempt to quiet him.

"Hey, I wasn't expecting to hear from you today. What's up?" Jo asked, tucking the phone into her shoulder as she settled on the sofa, Erica in her arms.

"I'm good. How are my girls?" She didn't hide the giddy smile as she watched her daughter nurse.

"We're doing good. Now what's wrong?"

Silence met her. "Nothing."

"Jack. I know you. Now what is it?"

"It's nothing we can't handle here at GD without you." He replied.

"What's wrong?" She demanded, not letting it go. He sighed. "Jack. You know I'm going to find out eventually."

"We have... a bit of a situation down at GD."

"How big of a situation?" She asked.

"Oh not very. Just a... small firecracker on the fritz."

"On the fritz how?"

He laughed nervously. "Jojo, do you remember when Kevin accidentally set off that huge fireball in the kitchen, and it got loose and went after every firearm in the town about... two years ago?"

"Including my own firearms?" She replied. "It ignited four of my pistols and melted two of my proton shotguns. I wanted to kill Kevin. Yes, Jack, I remember. And please, don't tell me that that's what this is again, because if it is, I will personally kill you myself."

"It's not that, Jojo."

"Then what is it?" She watched her daughter for several minutes. "Jack? What is it?"

"I'm not sure how, but the geeks in the Adjustable Fire Lab were experimenting with firecrackers as missiles and let a couple of them loose. We've been trying to find something that can catch them without doing much harm to the town-"

"Have you tried a magnarlicus?"

"A what?" She sighed, buttoning her blouse and standing. She moved upstairs with their daughter in her arms, headed for the baby's room. For a moment, she set the phone down and laid the little girl in her crib and turned the mobile Fargo and Holly had given them on. Several captured stars moved around in a circle, playing a gentle tune as the mobile turned. The blinking lights and soft music soon put the baby asleep. Straightening, she picked up the phone again and gently gave the mobile another push.

"Sorry about that, I just put Eri down for her nap. Now, what were we talking about?"

"Magla..."

"Oh, right, magnarlicus. It's a magnetic, invisible force field designed to attrack fireballs. Once caught, the balls desintegrate."

"Hold on a minute." She sat down in the rocking chair in the corner of her daughter's room and waited, watching the mobile above the crib, letting the gentle tune lull her to sleep...

"We've tried it!" She jumped, her eyes snapping open, the phone clattering to the floor. "Jo? Jojo, are you okay?" Quickly, she reached down and snatched it up, embarrassed that her husband had caught her falling asleep.

"Sorry. What did you say?"

"We tried the net thing. Anything else?"

"How... how about the arkelisa?"

"The what?" She rolled her eyes.

"Hold on, I'll be right down." She started to set the phone down and get up when he spoke up.

"You can't leave Sam home by herself, she's four weeks old!"

"I'm not leaving Eri home, I'm bringing her with me." She said, going to the crib and scooping her daughter up.

"You can't bring a baby to GD!"

"Well I can't leave her home! And you need my help!"

"Jo-"

"Stay there!" She got everything ready and then grabbed her handgun.

"You grabbed one of your handguns, didn't you?" Jack asked.

"Yeah, so?"

"So you cannot put a handgun in the car with our four week old daughter!"

"Stop worrying, we'll be fine, and I'll be there in a few minutes."

It didn't take her long to get to GD. Nothing appeared out of the ordinary on the drive over, but when she reached everyone in the main lobby of GD, she saw that Jack hadn't been exaggerating. Burning piles of rubble that had once been computers, holes the size of elephants, and missing tiles made the whole place look like a warzone. Certain departments were on lockdown, and the research lab was on the fritz, attempting to figure out what the problem was caused by and how to trap it. Jack rushed up to her as soon as she made it into the hall.

"I thought I told you to stay home with Sam." He said, kissing her quickly.

"You need my help, obviously." She replied.

"Oh, is that Erica? She's gotten so big!" Holly cried, coming over to the baby and scooping her up.

"So, what exactly are we looking for?" Jo asked, now that her daughter was in the loving hands of Dr. Martin, who adored the baby.

"Psychotic firecrackers." Jack told her as they joined the others. She nodded. "Still think Eureka's normal?" He asked, turning to look at her.


	21. Chapter 21

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"We can try a hypergalton net."

"A what?" Jack asked, laying his hand on his wife's back as she frantically punched codes into a computer.

"It's like a butterfly net, but it attracts the metal rimming in things like firecrackers, fireworks, sparklers, and other... various wild fireballs of destruction. Once the object makes contact with the net, the metal rimming looses its charge and it becomes useless."

"That's great-"

"The only problem, is that the nets also attract things that _aren't_ destructive and they have a reputation for short circuiting." Jo continued, interrupting her husband.

"Well, either way, it should work, shouldn't it?" He asked, running his hand up her back. She looked over her shoulder at him.

"_Should_. Operative word." He sighed, and kissed her temple quickly. He went to Holly, who sat cradling Erica. The girl cooed to the baby, letting her reach up and tug on her long red locks. "There are only two that haven't completely self-destructed, and they're in the safe in research storage." Jo straightened and turned to Fargo. "Okay, Fargo, go to the research lab. We need Zane to grab both of the nets and bring them here."

"Why both?" Jack asked as Fargo left.

"Just in case one short circuits and goes out, then we need a second just as a precaution." Jo told him. "Henry, have the rest of GD put on lockdown. No one comes in and no one goes out except for us. Grace, see if you can track the firecracker's paths, and get an accurate reading on them. Holly," She turned to the younger girl. "figure out how to extend the nets. The more life they have, the better chance we have of catching the firecrackers without major destruction." Holly nodded, and handed the little girl to her father, before getting up. Once they were alone, Jo turned back to her family. "Aren't you glad I came down today?" She asked, crossing her arms. He gave her a quick smile, before turning his attention back to his daughter. He looked up when his wife joined him.

"She's beautiful, isn't she?" She asked.

"Just like you." He replied. She shrugged, reaching out to trace her daughter's features. They spent several minutes staring into their daughter's beautiful dark eyes.

"It's not working!" The two looked up as Zane rushed into the room.

"What do you mean it's not working?" Jo demanded, standing. The others quickly joined them.

"All of GD is on lockdown. We've been tracing the paths, and Holly's managed to extend the life of one."

"One? What do you mean one?" Jo demanded turning on Grace.

"The other one burned out. So we have one shot to catch this thing." Grace replied.

"Or we're screwed." Jack put in. Jo looked around. Even though Grace had been captain of the Astreaus, she had no clue how to deal with things like this, even though she'd dealt with stuff like this before leaving. But she and the others hadn't been here for the destruction of the fireball two years ago. They didn't know how to handle it. Someone needed to work the net; and that left Jo.

"Grace, where are they headed now?" She asked, turning to the older woman.

"South of town, towards the woods." Jo's lips went into a disgusted pucker.

"_Why_ is it _always_ the _woods_?" She muttered. The others stared at her confused. "Well, let's go. We have a firecracker to catch."

The snapping of branches caused Jo to turn, but she relaxed when she saw the others catching up.

"The coordinates are saying that we're right on top of them." Grace said, looking down at the small tracking device she held. "But I don't see any-"

"Get down!" Jack called. Everyone hit the dirt hard as two homicidal firecrackers zoomed over them. One blasted through the bark of several trees, and the other made a direct U-turn for the group. Turning to the others, Jo said,

"Where's the net?"

"I've got it." Zane held up what looked like a pistol with a silencer on it. "I'll do it." Jo shook her head.

"Give me the net. I'll do it." Zane refused to hand it over, and instead climbed to his feet and made his way towards the firecrackers.

"No! Give it to me, I'll get it! I know how it works, you don't! Zane! Zane! _Damn it_." She muttered, before finally climbing to her feet and dashing after him. "Zane! Stop!" She could hear the others behind her, hurrying to catch up. She slammed into him, throwing them both to the ground. The net flew out of his hand and skidded several feet away.

"All you had to do was tell me to stop." He said, as she looked up into his face. He gave her a smug smile as his hands quickly ran over her body. He couldn't help noticing how slim she'd gotten- slimmer than before she'd had the baby- and he found himself admiring the full swells of her breasts that peaked out from the open lapels of her blouse. She glared at him, and climbed up, rushed to grab the net. He followed, reaching it first.

The only reason he didn't grab ahold of it was because he was back on the ground, staring into the barrel of Jo's handgun.


	22. Chapter 22

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"Jo, what are you doing?"

"Stay there, Donovan!" She ordered. Then, she reached down and grabbed the net, before turning her gun back on him.

"Turning your gun on me? What is wrong with you?" He demanded, sitting up.

"I told you, you don't know how to use this! You've never used one before! But I have. Let me do this!"

Then, she put her gun away and hurried after the firecrackers as Grace and Henry helped Zane to his feet.

"She's lost her mind." He said, looking after her. Jack shook his head.

"No she isn't. She's right." Jack told him. He went to Holly. "Stay here and look after Erica." She nodded. Then, he hurried after his wife. The others followed. When Erica started fussing, Holly scooped her up and proceeded to sing to her, making silly faces and cooing sounds for the little girl. "Jo!"

"Over here!" He looked up, seeing his wife beckon to him from behind a small cluster of tree stumps. He rushed to her, kneeling next to her. "Where's Eri?"

"Holly's further back, looking after her. What's going on?" They heard the others' footsteps approaching and both turned to them. "Get down!"

Once everyone was crouched down, Jo raised the net and took aim. She waited several minutes.

"Come on, Jo!" Zane said. She shook her head.

"No."

"Now, Jo?" Grace asked, fear in her voice.

"No. Not yet. Not until they're closer." She watched the crackers zip around, making their way closer and closer to them. Then, she stood, sticking her fingers in her mouth and whistling. "Hey! Over here!" The crackers seemed to stop momentarily before making their way towards her, almost as if they were figuring out where the noise had come from.

They got closer and closer, and Jack reached up to grab Jo by the back of her jacket, when she fired. The sound of an atomic boom exploding reached their ears, and everyone watched as a net of purple haze surrounded the firecrackers. Sparks of electricity lit the air for several minutes, before the crackers fell to the ground, still. She turned to look at everyone as they stood.

"Piece of cake."

Holly looked up, Erica was fast asleep in her arms; the others slowly made their way back to her.

"How is she?" Jo asked, taking her daughter into her arms.

"Finally asleep." Holly replied.

"Thank you, Holly."

"Welcome. And... Erica got her first look at the forest, so she got to learn something and go on an adventure with her Mommy and Daddy today."

Jack gave Holly a grateful smile as he wrapped an arm around Jo. "Thanks Holly."

"You haven't been by in a while."

Zane sighed, shutting the door softly behind him.

"I'm sorry, but... with everything going on, I haven't had time. How have you been?"

Allison shrugged. She lay on her bed at the local mental health hospital- her temporary residency of the last eleven months. Bottles of pills littered the small nightstand, and the blinds were closed over the window.

"What's happened since I've been gone?"

"Oh the usual destruction. Typical Eureka fashion, as always. Self-destructive firecrackers and rust-turning goo. Possible armageddon by espresso machine and body switching. The usual."

A fleeting smile crossed her face. "Anything else?"

He bit his lip. Hands in his pockets, he watched her for several minutes before,

"Jo had a baby."

Her eyes lit in panic and fear. "Jack's?" She asked, wanting the answer to be no. He nodded.

"Yes. Carter's baby." He watched the tears begin to slide down her cheeks. "A daughter. They've named her Erica."

She took a deep, shaky breath and looked up at him.

_"He's moved on without me."_

Sighing, Zane went to the bed and sat down, pulling her up and into his arms. He began stroking her back, attempting to calm her.

"I know. I know."

_"He's taken my daughter and... and married Jo and... and started a new family... a new life..."_ She burst into tears, wrapping her arms around his neck and sobbing into his chest.

"I know. I hate seeing them together, but... but there's nothing we can do to some it. They're in love, and they've started a family. They have a baby girl. We can't do anything now. Except let them live their lives..."

Eventually, Allison's sobs quieted, and she looked up at Zane. "I just... I just want everything to return to normal. Like before we left."

"I do too, Allison. I do too." He stared into her eyes, noticing that the heartache reflected in hers mirrored his. "Allison-"

But he didn't get to finish, because Allison had pressed her lips to his, and he found himself responding.


	23. Chapter 23

**Rifiuto: Non ****Miriena**

******Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 22.**

"So Holly had a moment of panic and followed everyone out to the woods with Erica... two firecrackers went on the fritz... just another typical day in Eureka. Just be grateful it's a new year." Jo said, over the pone.

"Uh-huh. How are you two doing?"

"Fine. I'm running late, so I'll be there as soon as I can."

"You don't have to come in today, Jojo. You can stay home with Erica-"

"I know. I just want to check in and work an hour, and then I will go home. I promise."

She spotted Jack talking with Fargo, and after a moment, snuck up to him.

"Hey." He gave her a quick smile, kissing her.

"Where's Erica?" He asked, squeezing her waist.

"At the babysitter's."

"How is the little scientist?" Fargo asked, nodding to Jo.

"Like all one-year-olds. Getting into everything and causing hell." Jo said, tossing her ponytail over her shoulder. "Well, I'm going to pick up Eri and go home, since it is my day off." She turned to go, before returning to her husband and reaching out for him. "Jack, are we still on for lunch at the house?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his neck. He nodded.

"Of course."

She smiled at him. "Good. I'll see you at home."

"Looking forward to it." He said, kissing her.

He slipped through the door two hours later, and shut it softly behind him. "Jo-" He looked up at the soft sound of footsteps. Jo was coming down the stairs in a black silk bathrobe. Her hair was in a sexy updo and she was barefoot.

"I thought I heard you come in."

He set his jacket on the back of the sofa and went to her, wrapping his arms around her. "Hey beautiful."

"I love our lunches at home." She whispered, kissing him deeply. When she pulled away, she looked into his eyes and said, "So I was thinking... Jenna's at school, and Eri's sound asleep upstairs... So... how about I spread out a picnic in the bedroom?"

"Sounds good." He said as she untied the robe and let it fall to the floor. He wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her to him. Her fingers started working on the buttons of his shirt, and he kissed her deeply. After a moment, he scooped her into his arms and headed to the stairs. "I'll get lunch ready. You just be sure to enjoy it." He told her as they made their way upstairs to the bedroom.

"Where's Jenna? _Where's Jenna_?" Jo burst through the doors of GD, Erica in her arms. She searched for her husband, and spotting him, she hurried his way. "Jack! I got a call from Jenna's teacher. She left not long after we dropped her off. I don't know where she is, and I've looked everywhere."

"It's okay, Jo, we'll find her. I promise."

They sent out a search party, but turned up nothing. After four hours of searching, Fargo sent both Jack and Jo home, telling them that they'd keep searching. It wasn't until they pulled up in front of the house, that they saw Jenna sitting on the step in the rain. Neither said anything, but Jo was the first out of the car, making her way towards Jenna.

"Mommy?" Jenna called softly, frightened.

"_Where have you been?"_ She asked. "Do you know how wor-" She stopped and slowly took a seat beside her when she saw Jenna's tear-streaked face.

"I went to see my Mom at the hospital. She was gone. I walked there from school, and when I was walking back to school, I heard one of the doctors say that my Mom was living with Mr. Donovan, and that she needed to be back in the hospital because she wanted to take me and runaway with Mr. Donovan. I don't want to go away. I want to stay here with you. I don't want to go, Mommy. I want to stay with you!"

"Mommy?" Jo lifted her head, looking into the girl's eyes. "Did you just..." Instead of answering, Jenna threw her arms around Jo's neck.

"I love you, Mommy."

She held the girl close, looking up at Jack. Erica was curled into her father's arms, with a raincoat, hat and boots on. She looked back down at Jenna. It was the first time Jenna had referred to her as her mother since she and Jack had gotten together. It made her heart swell.

"I love you too, Jea."


	24. Chapter 24

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"Mommy?"

The click of the hammer being slid into place was all that was heard for several minutes. She wound the barrel until it was tightly in place. "Hmm?"

"Can I help?" Her head snapped up. She chuckled softly.

"I don't think so, sweetie."

"Why not?" The simple question caused her to turn her gaze to her daughter.

"Because a five-year-old should _not_ be handling firearms."

"But you do."

"That's beacuse I'm head of GD Security. _And_ I'm an adult. Therefore, I have a right to handle firearms."

"But if I'm going to be a deputy like you, I need to know how to use and put together a gun." She screwed her mouth into a small circle, and thought a moment.

_"JACK!"_

Footsteps hurried down the stairs, and her husband entered the kitchen moments later.

"What's wrong?" Fear coated his voice and he looked around frantically for whatever had gotten Jo's attention.

She nodded the girl's way. "Talk to your daughter." He relaxed.

"About what?"

"About _why_ our daughter isn't allowed to handle _my_ firearms. Or any firearms for that matter until she's eighteen."

"That's not fair, Mommy! Daddy!" Jack sighed, unable to keep from laughing as his daughter stamped her foot and glared at her mother.

"Mommy? Daddy? What's going on?" Jack looked up to see Jenna come down the stairs. Dressed in a black pair of slacks, blouse and jacket that was identical to Jo's, she was working on putting her long dark hair into a French braid.

"I want to help Mommy work on her guns, but she won't let me."

The older girl furrowed her brow. "Good."

"How is that good?" Her sister cried, turning on her.

"Because you're too young." She finished braiding her hair and went to Jo. "Morning." She gave Jo a quick kiss on the cheek, and then rummaged around in the fridge. "Where's the orange juice?"

"Back behind the mayonaise, first shelf." Jo replied, methodically. She continued putting her handgun back together, carefully adding the bullets one by one.

"Why are there... four bullet holes in the orange juice carton?" The others turned to Jo, who stopped what she was doing. Her eyes shifted back and forth, before she dropped the bullets and sighed.

"I... may have used it for... target practice."

Jack chuckled, and went to her, kissing her quickly.

"Just so you know, you're stunting my growth by not letting me help!" Then, the little girl stalked back upstairs.

"How are we stunting her growth?" Jack asked. Jo raised her eyebrow.

"By not letting me help you're keeping me from finding my true potential as a deputy!" The bedroom door slammed and the house fell silent.

"Exactly _what_ is our daughter's IQ?" Jack asked, turning to his wife. She thought a moment.

"One-"

"One hundred ninety-three. Two points lower than her mother's." Both looked up. "What? Don't look so surprised, Daddy. Just because you're average and you married a super intelligent woman, doesn't mean you're any less smart. Everyone here is intelligent. Even you, to some degree." She poured a cup of coffee and took a sip. "Don't you love being married to an average man, Jo?" She asked, giving the woman a hug before going back upstairs.

"Thanks a lot, Jea." Jack called.

"Welcome!"

Once both girls were upstairs, Jack went to his wife and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. He kissed her temple as she reached up and took her husband's hand. Then, she turned and kissed him quickly on the lips. By the time Jo finished putting her handgun together, and Jack had put the dishes away, it was time to go.

"Girls! Come on, you'll be late!" Two pairs of footsteps hurried down the stairs, and the girls rushed into the kitchen. "Let's go! We're already late for work! Come on, let's go!"

They watched Jenna walk into the school with Erica before slipping out of the parking lot.

"Can we get coffee before work?" She asked, settling back in the passenger seat. He took her hand.

"Sure."

They stopped at Cafe Diem, got coffee, and then Jack went to the car and reached for the passenger door.

"I think I'll walk to GD."

He leaned back against the car. "You sure?" She nodded.

"Yeah. I'll stop by the office for lunch? Or should we do it at home?"

"How about at the office and do lunch at home tomorrow. Okay?" She gave him a small smile as he kissed her.

"Sounds good. I love you, Jack."

"I love you, Jojo." He watched her start down the sidewalk, making sure she was out of sight before heading to the sheriff's office. She moved down the sidewalk, enjoying the warm air. Eventually, she passed by a new pot of flowers that was surrounded by a light purple hazey cloud. The flowers weren't something she usually stopped to admire, but since marrying Jack and having Eri, she'd grown to see the beauty in everything. So deciding that she could take a few minutes, she stopped to admire the small, clover shaped blooms. Leaning through the nearly transparent haze, she breathed deep.

When she pulled back and continued down the sidewalk to work, she rounded the corner towards GD and stopped, looking down at her outfit. She set her cup of coffee down on a window ledge and quickly unbuttoned her jacket. Stripping it off her body, she then unbuttoned her blouse and pulled the shoulder down, ripping into the seams at the shoulders. Once that was done, she tossed the sleeves in a trash can, reached up and pulled her hair out of the ponytail she'd put it in, and undid the last two buttons on her blouse, leaving her trim stomach exposed. Then, she grabbed her cup of coffee and continued down the street to work, earning catcalls and wolf whistles as she passed.

The attention made her feel like a giddy schoolgirl.


	25. Chapter 25

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Ghostrider and Hendrick248848 for reviewing 23.**

"Morning Fargo!"

The Director of GD looked up. He turned, and had to do a double take as his Chief of Security strode past, her long raven hair tumbling down her back in waves. The sleeves of her blouse were gone, exposing her shoulders, and the last two buttons were undone on her blouse, showing her taut stomach.

"Good... morning, Jo." He replied, watching her disappear down the hall before going back into his office. When she'd rounded the corner, she took off running, skidding down the hall and around the corner, headed for the research lab. Sliding through the doors, she lost her footing and slammed into Zane, who was going to work on something new.

"Oh, sorry! Hey bitches! Who's up for a coffee break?" She burst out laughing as he helped her stand, and after a moment, he pulled away and stared at her.

"Um... are you okay, Carter?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. She stared at him confused.

"Carter? Do I_ look_ like the sheriff?" She asked, moving towards him. He stepped back, bumping into the computers. "The name's Lupo. Jo Lupo." She said, reaching up to run her fingers throug his hair. He reached up and pulled her hand away.

"What is wrong with you?"

"Nothing. I'm fine. I'm just... having fun. I know!" Her eyes lit up. "Let's go make out in the broom closet! For fun."

He nodded, and pushed her into a nearby chair. "You sit here. Stay here." After making sure she decided to stay put, he grabbed his cell. "Come on, Carter. Pick up."

The phone rang and he set his cup of coffee down.

"Sheriff Carter... Zane? What's... whoa, whoa, Zane slow down. What's wrong? Jo's what?... Okay, I'll be right there."

As he drove down to GD, he didn't notice his wife heading in the opposite direction, making a beeline for Cafe Diem.

He rushed through the halls of GD, Zane met him halfway. "Where is she?"

"She was in the research lab, and I turn my back to call you, and she's gone. I have no idea where she went." Jack rolled his eyes.

"This is why I can't be trusted to leave my wife alone for more than five minutes." He turned back to Zane. "I'll find her. Zane, can you try to get a GPS reading on Jo?"

The younger man nodded. "Yeah. I'm on it."

Once he headed into the hall, he pulled his cell out and dialed Jo's number. "Come on, Jojo, pick up." It rang for several minutes, before finally,

"Hello?"

"Oh thank god. Where are you?"

"Who is this?"

"Wh... what do you mean who is this? This is your husband, Jo! Remember?" She was silent, seeming to think. "I don't... have a husband. Sorry. I don't know you." And with that, she hung up the call. He groaned, slipped his phone back into his pocket and rushed from GD.

The door shut behind him and he moved through the house, keeping quiet. He was silent as he made his way upstairs, passing by the girls' rooms. The door to their bedroom was ajar, and as he stepped inside, he found clothes scattered about the floor. Shoes pointed towards the bathroom, and as he reached for the door, he saw a black lace bra hanging from the knob. Steam hit him full force as the door swung open.

The shower was going, and he could hear someone singing at the top of their lungs. He stepped over a blouse with the sleeves ripped off and a pair of slacks; a pair of high heels sat guarding the shower, and he found a pair of black lace panties laying in the middle of the room. After a moment of listening to the voice- that definately belonged to his wife- he reached out and slid the shower door away.

Jo stood under the showerhead, water dripping from her body to the tile floor like rain. Her hair was a mess of shampoo lather atop her head, and her eyes were closed. He stood for several minutes just admiring her, letting his eyes roam the curve of her body, the concave tautness of her once-more flat stomach, and the muscles of her legs. He remembered that she'd said she hadn't danced since she was a kid, but she certainly had the body of a dancer- despite her years as an Army Ranger. For several moments, he couldn't believe that she'd _actually_ had his child. She certainly didn't look like she'd had a baby five years earlier.

She was so content, and he hated to disrupt her, but he had no choice. Taking a deep breath, he said,

"I finally found you."

Her eyes snapped open and she looked over at him. At first, horror crossed her pretty face, but then she relaxed and realized that he was the one she'd talked to on the phone.

"You must be... my 'husband'!" She said, giving him a wide smile. He chuckled, smiling at her.

"Yeah, I am. I'm Jack. Carter-"

"So you must be the Carter that that guy called me."

"What guy?" He asked, stepping into the shower with her, ignoring the fact that he was getting soaked.

"This... really annoying guy at GD. He called me Carter. I told him that wasn't my name. It's Lupo... and come to think of it, he was kind of cute." She giggled like Jenna or Erica when they were excited about something, and he moved towards her until she was backed up against the wall. He let his eyes roam over her body, noticing the steady rise and fall of her breasts. He couldn't deny the jealousy that was running up his spine at the mention of Zane.

"Look, you have to listen to me, Jojo. I'm your husband. We've been married for almost six years, and we have a daughter together. Okay? Now I don't know why you're suddenly acting like a teenager, but we need to figure it out, and we need to figure it out by the time we have to pick the girls up from school. So finish your shower, and meet me in our bedroom. Got it?" She nodded, reaching out to run her hands over his chest.

"I like it when guys get all demanding." She leaned up to kiss him, and he pulled away, knowing that if he kissed her, he'd never step out of the shower, and only succeed in stripping off his wet clothes and joining her for a romp under the showerhead.


	26. Chapter 26

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"Hey Zane, I found her... Yeah, look, she's... she's acting like a teenager... could you... look up any sort of disorder or... okay. Well, let me know. We'll be down there soon. Thanks."

He hung up just as the bathroom door opened and Jo slipped out in a black silk bathrobe. Her hair hung down her back in damp waves, and she went to him, crashing her lips against his. He tried to speak, but decided against it as they moved back to the bed and tumbled atop the covers. He looked up at her as she sat up, excitement in her eyes.

"I've never done this with my husband before." She said, giggling. Her hands moved down and undid the tie; the soft silk of the robe pooled around her body, and she tossed it to the floor with the other discarded items of clothing. He sighed, reaching up to cradle her hip. Her hands worked frantically on his shirt as her lips crashed down on his. He couldn't control the rational side of himself anymore. Laying in bed with his gorgeous wife nude in his arms was too much to bear. He gave in to his desire and sat up, allowing her to take control as the rest of his clothes fell away.

"I love you, Jojo." He whispered against the shell of her ear. She wrapped her arms tight around his shoulders as she lay back against the pillows.

"I love you too." She replied, looking into his eyes.

They lay in each others' arms, basking in the afterglow of the last two and a half hours. He ran circles on her back, thinking back on what they'd done. She was acting like a high schooler who'd been given alcohol for the first time. But in those last two hours, he'd seen glimpses of his wife, and he wanted her back. He was pulled away from his thoughts by the sound of his phone ringing. As he reached over to grab it, Jo snatched it up.

"Hello?" She asked, putting the phone to her ear and laying back against her husband's chest. "Oh, hi... Yes, he's here... I know because I'm in his arms, and we just had wild sex... and it was amazing..." She giggled, burying her face into his chest. When her head snapped up, he watched her dark curls fly back from his face. "What? Oh... okay..." she held the phone out to him. "He wants to talk to you."

She climbed out of bed, removing herself from his arms as he took the phone. "Hello? Hey Zane... Yeah, I found her... Yeah, she was at hom... what? You... you think it was a flower... but... oh... okay, we'll be right down. Thanks. Bye." He hung up the phone, setting it on the nightstand and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Let's do something fun." He looked up to see his wife in a lace bra and panties set.

"Like what?" He asked. "Like what we did before? Because that's not going to happen. I have to take you down to GD. Zane thinks he's found out what's causing you to act this way. So finish getting dressed, and we'll head to GD and get you back to normal." She glared at him, but reluctantly got dressed, pulling on a pair of worn old jeans and a tank. Once she'd pulled on her shoes, he took her arm and led her downstairs.

"I don't want to go to GD!" She cried, pulling away from him once they'd reached the living room. "I want to have fun!" She crossed her arms over her chest, thinking. Suddenly, her face lit up. "Let's go dancing! Or drinking! Let's do that!" She cried, wrapping her arms around his neck. He removed her arms and held her back at arm's length, looking into her eyes.

"Jojo, you're acting weird. We need to take you down to GD and get everything straightened out, and then we can come home and have all the sex you want. _Okay_?"

She reached out for him, but he forced her back again. "You know what sounds really good right now? One of those caramel cappuccinos with the whipped cream and the cinnamon sprinkles. I can make a run... and then we can go upstairs and... share them." She whispered into his ear. He once again pushed her away.

"As wonderful as that sounds, we need to fix this. And fix it_ now_. Come on." And he dragged her to the door, despite her digging her heels in.

"You are _no_ fun!" She cried as he took ahold of her wrist and dragged her to the car. He groaned as he unlocked the car.

"Not this again." He muttered, taking her around to the passenger side and opening the door. "You know what would be fun?" He asked

Her eyes lit up and she cried,

"Ice skating!"

"No! No ice skating! Getting you back to normal."

"How is that fun?" She demanded.

"Get in the car." She planted her feet and crossed her arms over her chest, glaring at him. He sighed. "Oh my god, I'm arguing with our daughter." He muttered. "_Get_ in the car! _Now_!"

_"No!"_ She snapped, turning to go. He grabbed her arm and shoved her police style into the car, shutting the door behind her as she argued and struggled against him. "You don't let me have any fun!" She said as he got in beside her and started towards GD.

"The sex was fun, wasn't it?" She thought a moment.

"Yeah, it was." She giggled. "Can we do it again?" She asked, turning to look at him.


	27. Chapter 27

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 26.**

_"You can't do this! Put. Me. Down!"_

Everyone looked up to see the sheriff striding into the research lab, the head of GD security thrown over his shoulder like a sack of rice. She wore a pair of worn jeans and a tank top, her long raven hair in waves, the furthest thing from professional, GD work attire that she could get, short of wearing a bikini or bra and thong to work.

"Actually, seeing as I'm the sheriff, I can."

"But I-"

"I _know_ you're the head of security, but right now, you're acting like Sam when she doesn't get her way-"

"Who's Sam?" She asked, looking back at him.

"Our _daughter_." He replied, making his way down the steps into the lab. Once inside, he set her on her feet, shoved her into a chair, and handcuffed her to the nearest computer.

_"What the fuck was that for_?" She demanded, staring at hime wide-eyed.

"To keep you from running off." He said, turning to Zane. "What have you found out?"

"The flower that caused... this..." He gestured to Jo, who was struggling to slide her hand out of the handcuffs. "was a beta test put out downtown to see how people would react and- if any- would approach it. Everyone ignored it; Jo was the only one to approach."

"It's surrounded by a nearly transparent purple haze-" Henry added, handing Jack the folder.

_"Not that again."_ Jack whined.

"Now just relax. It's the same purple haze, only it's a much weaker, lighter haze that doesn't affect the entire town. Just the person that gets near it. The haze, once transparent, and combined with the petals of the flower, can be used as a... an antedote, in case the town suffers something like the last mass purple haze again." Henry said, turning to Jo, who glared at her husband and stuck her tongue out at him.

"And it looks like Jo's going to be our first test subject." Grace said, joining them. She had the antedote in a small capped glass that she handed to Jack, who looked from it to her. "You give it to her. She trusts you. She _loves_ you." Grace crossed her arms, nodding to Jo, who tried her hardest to get out of the chair without dragging the computer with her. She failed, as she once more landed on her butt on the chair.

"She loves all of you also-"

"Not me." Zane said, sticking his hands in his pockets and shrugging.

"But not like she loves you, Jack. You're her husband, after all. You share a life and a marriage and a daughter with her. She's never loved anyone like she's loved you before or since." Grace told him; he saw Zane turn from them. Even nine years later- four away and five here- he was still sore. Jack guessed that he always would be. He sighed and went to his wife, kneeling down in front of her.

"Jo, love?" She was slouched down, arms crossed over her chest, a pout on her pretty face. "Would you take this for me?" She glared at him. "Please?"

"Why?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Because I love you and want you back to normal-"

"I am normal."

"No, you're not. You're not the Jo I know. Not the Jo I love." He reached out, cradling her cheek to look into her eyes. She stared at him, never breaking her gaze. "Please, Jo." After a moment, he uncapped it and brought it to her lips, gently tipping her head back. The others watched silent as she finished the antedote, and when he pulled away, she choked, coughing in an attempt to catch her breath. Her face screwed up into a look of disgust, and she shoved him away, knocking the bottle from his hands. It shattered once it hit the ground. "Jo!"

She stuck her tongue out, in a vain attempt to exhale the antedote. When it didn't work, she swallowed, trying to keep herself from regurgetating the antedote up. From the looks that crossed her face, it must have tasted horrible. After several minutes, Grace said,

"Let's give her some space. It'll take a few minutes to kick in."

Slowly, everyone returned to their jobs, except for Jack, who stayed by her side. Twenty minutes later, she looked around, finally spotting the handcuffs that kept her attached to the computer. A look of confusion crossed her face, and she turned to Jack, struggling to say something that didn't sound stupid.

"Wh... why the hell am I handcuffed to a computer in the research lab?" She looked down at her outfit. "And... what the_ hell_ am I wearing?"

Jack looked up. "Jo?"

"_Yeah_. Who else would I be?" She asked slowly, looking at her husband with worry in her eyes. He relaxed, taking her face in his hands and kissing her.

"Oh thank god. It worked. The antedote worked." He pressed a kiss to her forehead, before kissing her again.

"What worked? Jack, you're worrying me." She said between kisses.

"You wouldn't believe me if I told you." He said, pressing his forehead to hers. She looked at him.

"Try me." He glanced at Grace and the others, who'd stopped what they were doing when Jo seemed to return to normal. After a moment, he nodded.

"Okay."

"Um... Jack, could you uncuff me first?" She asked as he stood.

"So I ran around town acting like a teenager, had wild sex with you at home and then told Zane about it over the phone before drinking the antedote Grace gave me. All because of some... flower?" She looked up at him as they walked out to the car. Fargo had decided that Jo needed some time off due to the mild mayhem she'd caused while on the plant. He'd sent Jack home as well, mainly because the sheriff had tried to kill the researchers after finding out that the botany lab had taken been the ones to set out the plant. He bit his lip and nodded.

"Yeah. Basically."

"What... kind of mayhem did I cause?" She asked, stopping and turning to him. He thought a minute.

"Just... you know what? I'll tell you when we get home."

"I was that bad?" Her eyebrows rose in surprise. He shook his head.

"No... no... not... really. Kind of. Not in bed though."

She stopped from getting into the passenger seat and turne to him. "In bed? Jack... did we..." He nodded.

"Yeah. You were... obviously letting out some teenage agression issues. I thought it'd die down after the first time, but by the fourth... it only got worse. Or, better, depending on how you look at it."

She buried her face in her hands. "I am so sorry." She said, raising her head. He chuckled softly and took her hands.

"It's okay. Not that I didn't like the teenage Jo, but... I'm so happy to have my Jo back." He whispered, brushing a wayward strand off her face. She let him kiss her, before climbing into the car. As they headed home, Jo glanced back at GD.

"Just another typical day in Eureka."


	28. Chapter 28

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"Jack?"

"Hmm?" She wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing her cheek against his back. They were silent for several minutes, with only the sound of the coffee starting to break the calm. He turned around, wrapping his arms around her waist. "What is it, Jojo?" He asked, kissing her quickly. They stood for several minutes, letting the kissing turn to touching and the touching turn to caressing and the caressing turn to undoing of clothes. Eventually, she pulled away, resting her forehead to his.

"I want another baby."

His eyes widened, and he pulled away to look into her eyes. "A..._ another_ baby?" She nodded. "Um... Jojo, do you remember what happened the_ last_ time we had a baby?" She thought a moment. "You threatened to kill me not long after you went into labor."

"Okay? It couldn't have been that big of a threat." She asked. He raised his eyebrows.

"Not that big of a threat? Jojo, you threatened to kill me with a semi-automatic! And if that didn't work, you said you'd go terminator on me if I ever mentioned the words 'want' and 'baby' in the same sentence ever again." She blushed, burying her face in his chest. After a moment, she looked up.

"I am so sorry about that, Jack. I... I was... in a lot of pain. You know... being ripped in two kind of pain..." She sighed. "I was having your baby. Can you blame me?" He chuckled softly, wrapping his arms around her waist. Slowly, her hands slid up his chest, before wrapping around his neck. "Besides, Jea's old enough that she can help out and look after Eri if need be. And Eri's six, so we won't have two babies to take care of, just... the one..." She trailed off, realizing that she'd talked too long. "Please Jack? I really want another baby."

"What brought this on, Jojo?" He asked softly, reaching up to cup her face in his hand. She shrugged.

"I just... I watched Eri getting dressed this morning, and... I realized that... that my little girl doesn't need me to help her with... much of anything anymore. Some things, yes, but... not much. And... there were days when Eri was a baby that I had to work, or there was some sort of... crisis threatening the town, and I had to help, and so I missed out on... little things. Like... like her playing with her toes, or seeing the delight in her eyes as she pressed a button on a toy that made music... we both did."

"But there were plenty of moments like those that we didn't miss out on." Jack told her.

"I know, but... but Jack... Eri turns seven in two weeks, and I... I guess I'm just having a little anxiety, since my... baby girl is turning seven and... soon she'll be in high school and then driving and then going to college... with Jea... and... and soon we'll be living in an empty house, bored out of our minds, trying to save this... crap town while our daughters are out getting college degrees and having relationships and getting married and having their own babies..."

Jo had pulled away from her husband and stalked into the living room, talking all the while. Hands in the air, she'd paced back and forth, her words and motions getting more and more frantic as she got more hyped up. Eventually, she'd plopped down on the sofa, and now sat with her face in her hands, trying to calm her racing heart. Jack had watched from the kitchen as his wife talked, realizing that she was right. They're girls were growing faster than they could count- one minute Eri was learning to walk, and the next she was learning Latin.

Sighing, he went to her, sitting beside her and taking her hands. "You've been thinking about this a lot, haven't you, Jojo?" She nodded, sniffing. Gently, he reached up and wiped the tears off her cheeks. "You really want another baby?" Another nod. "You're sure you want another baby?"

"Yes." Taking a deep breath, she reached up and cradled his neck. "I want another baby. I really do. Please, Jack."

He thought a moment, closing his eyes. When he opened them again, he nodded. "Okay. Let's have another baby."

The door to their bedroom shut softly behind them. They crashed onto the bed, their clothes leaving a trail from the sofa in the living room to the bed. The girls slept soundly several doors down. Only in their underwear, they ran their hands over skin and into hair, lips crashing together as their bodies moved to join together.

His hands unhooked her bra and tossed it to the floor, his lips never leaving hers. Her hands tangled in his hair, and she pulled away, moving his head towards her breasts. Once they were fully nude, he pushed her gently into the pillows and blankets, trailing his hands over her body, finding the familiar curves and crevices of her body. He had no need to reaquaint himself with her body; he knew every curve, every dip, every smooth surface and rough patch of her body, from the small mole on her lower back to the curls of her pubic hair. He relished watching her shower; the tightness of her arm muscles as she lathered her hair, the way one foot ran up and down her leg as she stood under the showerhead, or the curve of her body as she leaned back and washed the shampoo from her hair.

Most people would have thought it disgusting that he would watch his wife shower, but neither of them did. She knew he would watch her, and even enjoyed the feel of his eyes on her body as she washed the grime of the hours before from her skin. She never put on a show, but delighted in the attention she recieved from him, and always, before she finished, beckoned him to join her.

And now, as they lay making wild, passionate love among the pillows of their bed, he couldn't help letting his eyes roam over the beautiful sight before him. She looked up into his eyes, reaching up to cradle his face in her hands.

"What? What are you thinking? Jack?"

He blinked, realizing that she was watching him, waiting for his answer. He stared into her dark eyes and realized that he did want another baby- if only to look into that innocent face and see his wife staring back at him. She furrowed her brow, suddenly worried.

"Jack? Jack, what's wrong?" She ran a hand down his chest, around his waist and towards his buttocks.

"Nothing, Jojo. Nothing's wrong. I just... I love you so much."

The smile that greeted him lit up her face.


	29. Chapter 29

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 28.**

"So, how're you feeling?"

"As good as I'm going to get on thirty pills and endless psychiatrist visits." Zane sighed, taking a sip of his coffee. Allison looked around, seeing the families sharing a meal or couples talking. "I haven't seen my daughter in almost six years. I've spent countless months in and out of the hospital, I've lost my career... and the man I fell in love with to your girlfriend... but the one bright spot, all these years... has been you." She reached over and took his hands. "Thank you. I love you."

He gave her a quick smile. "I love you too, Ali."

The two leaned close, sharing a quicky kiss. They didn't pull away even when the door opened and Jack and Jo entered with the girls in tow. They settled at a table not far from where Zane and Allison were sitting, and the couple finally pulled away turned, to see Vin chatting with the couple. When he left to fill their orders, Zane and Allison watched as the little girl reached over and patted Jo's stomach. They watched the older girl turn to Jack and start a conversation. Eventually, their food arrived and they settled down into quiet conversation.

"I guess they're happy." Allison said, turning back to Zane. He didn't reply, instead sipped his coffee.

She pushed her cup away and stood, pulling her jacket off the chair.

"All right, come on, let's get going. You're going to be late for school-"

"And we have a doctor's appointment to get to." Jack said, standing and laying his hand on Jo's back.

"Can we come see the baby, Mommy?" Jo looked down at the little girl.

"We have to go to school, Eri. But Daddy and Mommy will show us the sonogram photos after school. Okay?" The little girl nodded, taking her sister's hand. Zane and Allison watched the two girls head outside, followed quickly by Jack. Jo went last, stopping when she saw Zane and Allison. She stared at the couple, subconsiously reached down and laid a hand on her growing belly, and then hurried out of the cafe. Zane and Allison watched her go.

"What is it? What is it?"

"Eri, slow down!" Jack and Jo looked up to see Erica rushing towards the car, pulling Jenna behind her.

"Mommy! What is it?" Erica asked, standing on her toes to see through the rolled down window. Jo held the sonogram photographs in her lap. She gave her daughter a big smile and reached out to tap her nose.

"It's a boy." Jo told her, holding out the sonogram photos.

"A boy?" Jea asked, looking at one of the sonograms. Jo nodded. "We're having a brother?"

"And a girl." Jack added. Erica looked up at her father, confused.

"But Mommy said-"

"Twins! Mommy and Daddy are having twins!" Eri cried, jumping up and down on the balls of her feet.

"Okay, you two. Get in." Jack said, motioning to the back of the car. The girls quickly did as told.

"How are the babies?" Jea asked once she'd climbed into the backseat.

"They're all strong and healthy. Mama included." Jack said, glancing at Jo.

Nine months passed relatively quickly, with the usual chaos happening in Eureka. At the end of her pregnancy, Jo spent her days at work, just to get away from the house.

"How are you doing, Jojo? Everything okay?" Jack asked, wrapping his arms around her waist. She nodded.

"Yes, Jack, I'm-" A look of uncertainty crossed her face, and she grabbed his hand, squeezing.

"Jo? Honey, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." She said, taking a deep breath.

"Jojo." After a moment, she looked up at him.

"All right. I... Jack... I think I'm in labor."

He took her face in his hands. "Okay. It'll be okay. We're going to go home and get your things, and we're going to go to the hospital. Okay, everything's going to be fine. Okay?" She nodded. He looked back at Fargo. "Fargo, I'm going to take Jo to the hospital-"

The director nodded. They didn't get very far; Zane rushed in,narrowly missing the couple as he made his way to Fargo.

"What is it Zane?" Everyone turned to look at him. The younger man sighed.

"We have a problem."


	30. Chapter 30

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

"What do you mean we have a problem?" Fargo asked. Jack and Jo looked back. Zane glanced down at his information.

"We have a wormhole currently working its way through the photogenatric lab. They're trying to control it, but everything they've tried has had no affect. "

Jo looked at Jack. "Can we go to the hospital now? Please?"

"That's another thing." Zane said. "It'd be best if no one that's already in the building went outside. We don't know what it could do if it got out to town."

Jack rolled his eyes. "So I'm not allowed to take my wife to the hospital?" He demanded, turning to him. Jo doubled over, attempting to keep from crying out.

"You can, but anyone that leaves risks exposing the rest of Eureka to the wormhole-" Zane started, as Jack advanced on him.

"Why is it always-"

"Jack!" He ignored her, too intent on wringing Zane's neck. "_Jack!" _His wife'scry brought him back to the current situation. He left Zane alone and rushed back towards Jo. "Jack, I don't think I'm going to make it to the hospital." He wrapped his arm around her waist and held her close, letting her squeeze his hand.

"Okay. Um... Fargo, I'm going to take Jo down to the infirmary. If you need either of us, let us know." Fargo nodded, shooing the couple away as he returned to gathering information from Zane.

The infirmary doors slid open, and instantly, they were swarmed by doctors and nurses. She was taken to a nearby bed and her vitals were checked. A contraction ripped through the lower half of her body and she let out a scream. Jack grabbed her hand, letting her squeeze. She dug her nails into his skin.

"All right, what's going on?"

She looked up, seeing Allison enter the room. Her mouth fell open, and she struggled to say something, but the pain of a contraction ripping through her lower body caused her to change her mind. Allison's eyes widened.

"J... Jo? Jack?"

Jo's scream brought her out of her shock and she returned her attention to the situation at hand.

"How far apart are the contractions?" Allison asked, moving to check on Jo. But before anyone could respond, an image was pulled up on a nearby laptop's screen.

"Jack?" It was Fargo. "Is Jack there?" The sheriff turned his attention to the computer.

"What's a matter, Fargo?"

"The wormhole apparently found a small hole out of GD and into town-"

"Great! Just great!" Jack cried.

"What's wrong?" Jo asked, laying back against the pillows. Jack glanced back at his wife, who was struggling to keep from pushing, even though she wanted to.

"Oh the wormhole's escaped and is working its way through town. Nothing major to worry about, love." Jack said. He turned back to Fargo. "We'd both be there to help but Jo's in labor. We'll help any way we can, but we're going to be primarily occupied."

"That's fine. I'll let you know if we need help."

He returned to his wife's side, taking her hand.

"Jo, I want you to push, okay?" Allison said, looking up at the woman who'd replaced her in Jack's heart. Pain crossed the woman's face, and her heart momentarily went out to the young head of security. "I need you to push, Jo!" The young deputy did as told, pushing as hard as she could. A scream escaped her throat as the baby crowned. "Keep pushing, Jo!" She slowly and gently guided the baby into the world, and with one last push, the new parents heard a healthy, strong cry.

"You have a baby girl." Allison said, laying the baby in a nurse's arms before returning to check on her mother. "Okay, I want you to rest-" Jo shook her head. "What's wrong? Jo?"

The head of security swallowed. "I... I'm having twins." Allison's eyes widened.

"Twins?" Jo nodded, biting her lip to keep from crying.

Suddenly, Fargo appeared on the screen again.

"Um, I hate to interrupt, but do any of you have any ideas on how to stop the wormhole? We've tried everything, and nothing's working-"

"Try... the carilation laser." Jo said, through a contraction. She sat forward and pushed, her eyes shut tight against the pain coursing through her body. Allison looked up, seeing the pain on Jo's face; memories of Jenna's birth came flooding back to her. She knew what it was like to bring a child into the world during a GD crisis.

"Push Jo." The young head of security did as told, unable to contain her scream as the baby crowned. Several moments passed; Allison gently guided the baby from Jo's womb and into the world, while Zane and Fargo, Holly and Grace and the others tried to get the wormhole under control. "One more push!" A last, painful scream escaped Jo's lips as she gave that last push, just as Fargo and Zane managed to get control of the laser. The whole town shook as the wormhole was sucked into the lighted space of the laser. Once everything had settled, Allison looked up at Jo and Jack. "You have a boy." Jo took a deep breath, laying back against the bed.

The nurse laid the baby in his mother's arms, and then laid his sister in his father's. Jo couldn't stop herself from crying, and she blushed as tears began to trail down her cheeks. She looked up at Jack, a wide smile on her face.

"Thank you." She whispered as he settled on the edge of the bed beside her. "For giving me our children." He kissed her gently, nudging his nose against hers. "I love you."

"I love you, Jo." Allison watched them; tears in her eyes as it finally sank in that Jack was never going to come back to her- no matter how much she truly wanted him to, deep down. He was with Jo. They'd created a life and a family. And even though Jenna was her daughter, she would never have a place in their family.


	31. Chapter 31

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 29.**

"Mommy! What are you doing?"

She didn't reply. Instead, she narrowed her eyes and aimed for the orange juice carton. In one swift pull of the trigger, a bullet flew through the carton, followed by another and another. By the time she finished, orange juice was pooling onto the dirt.

"Did you _have_ to use the orange juice?" She looked behind her; Jea stood with a year-old baby boy in her arms, watching her mother do target practice with one of her handguns and several cartons of juice. Jo sighed and slipped her handgun back into the holster on her hip.

"Sorry. If you wanted some, you should have told me before hand." She said, going to the girl. She held out her arms for the little boy, who curled into his sister's shoulder, peeking at his mother through a head of dark curls. Jo gave her son a big smile, reaching out to tickle him. He giggled, burying his face in Jea's shoulder. "I thought you were taking a nap." Jo said, scooping her son into her arms.

"He was. But the blast from your practicing must have woken him up." Jea said, reaching up and running circles on her baby brother's back.

"Thank you, Jea." Jo said, wrapping an arm around the teenager and hugging her. The seventeen-year-old looked up at her, giving her mother a big smile.

"Welcome."

"_My turn_!" The two looked up as a twelve-year-old with long dark hair tied back in a ponytail raced past them and snatched up the handgun. She pulled a couple bullets from her pocket and opened the barrel, sliding them into place. "Put the jar there, Tre." A seven-year-old little boy rushed forward, setting a glass jar of honey on the stool and then rushed away, hiding behind his mother, as his sister clicked the barrel closed. Jenna glanced behind her mother, to see her brother and sister watching from the other side of their mother's legs. She shook her head.

"Ni? Dani? What is that?" Neither answered her. After a moment, Jenna tugged on her mother's sleeve, suddenly realizing what her little sister was aiming at. "Mommy... that's..." Jo turned to her, confused. She glanced back, saw the golden goo shining in the clear glass jar, and quickly handed her youngest son to Jenna.

"Oh god. Eri, no!" She rushed forward, just as the twelve-year-old fired the first shot. She hit the ground hard, snucking in a sharp breath. Thankfully, she wasn't hit by bullet fire. Instead, she was showered with honey as the jar shattered, sending glass and carmelized sugar everywhere. Once everything had settled, Jo raised her head, noticing the gob of honey drop from her forehead to the ground in front of her.

"Mommy, are you all right?" Niall asked, as he and Danielle rushed forward. Slowly, Erica lowered the gun, her mouth open in shock at the mess before her.

"I'm fine, babies. I promise." Jo said, pushing herself to her hands and knees. She turned to Erica. "You, however, will not be."

"Is everything all right? I heard a scream and a gunshot." The whole group looked up to see Jack rushing towards them, gun at the ready. He hurried to his wife and helped her up. "Are you all right, Jojo?" He asked, once she was on her feet. She nodded.

"Yeah, I'm okay. Just... covered in honey, thanks to our daughter." She turned to Erica, who dropped the gun and ran, slamming the door behind her. Looking down at herself, she said, "I'm going to go take a shower and get the honey out of my hair. Would you fix lunch for the kids?"

"Of course, love." She kissed him quickly before hurrying into the house.

He watched her dip under the showerhead, saw her fully relax. He took in the curve of her body, noticing how she seemed to get smaller and smaller with each child. Just as he turned to go, she said,

"You aren't going to disappoint me, are you?" He turned back to her, she looked at him through one eye. He thought a moment, before stripping off his clothes and stepping under the showerhead with her. His arms automatically went around her waist, and he kissed her deeply. She pressed her forehead against his, relaxing. "I love you, Jack." He held her close, closing his eyes as the water rained down around them. "I love you so, so much. I wouldn't have been able to have gotten through those four years without you... I can't imagine my life without you now. I never could."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead.

"I love you, Jo. I can't imagine my life without you either, Jojo. And I don't want to."

They stumbled back towards the bed, kicking their bedroom door closed as they made their way to the bed. Her hair tumbled around her face in wet curls, framing her features. He stared at her, seeing Eri's eyes, Dani's dimples, Ni's smile, the way Col wrinkled his nose. He saw all four of his children in her, from their dark hair and olive complexion to their mannerisms and expressions. He still couldn't believe that Eri was twelve going on thirteen, and that Col had just turned one.

"What?" He shook his head, unable to find the correct words. She smiled at him, the dimples in her cheeks making their way towards her eyes as she smiled.

She snuggled close, enjoying the comforting feeling of her husband's fingers tracing circles on her back. He sighed, content to have his wife in his arms. Eventually, she raised her head and stared into his eyes, drinking in the love that shone in them. It still surprised him that in eleven years, he and Jo had had four children- all surprisingly, that had been born when Eureka was in crisis. But then again, it wasn't Eureka if there wasn't some sort of crisis going on.

Erica Samantha, their spitfire- Eri or Sam as she was known by family and friends- had been first, when Jenna was five. She had given Jo that first, full taste of motherhood. Sure, she'd helped Jack raised Jenna, but Jo hadn't concieved, carried, given birth to, and raised a baby until Eri. Jea had been willing and eager to help her mom with her little sister, to which Jo was grateful. Erica had grown into a beautiful little girl since then, though at times, she was bane of her father's existance.

When they'd discussed having another baby, both Jo and Jack had gotten more than they'd bargained for. Danielle Joanna- or Joanna Danielle as Jack called her- and Naill Jackson had caught their parents off guard, despite their sisters' excitement at having twin siblings. Ten minutes apart, the two often ran on the same frame of mind- a constant annoyance to their older sisters. At five, they were quite the handful, and kept their parents on their toes, unless they were trying to help end whatever crisis the town had gotten itself into.

Their last born child was Collin Nathaniel. He, like his siblings had his mother's smarts, but was also beginning to show bits of his father's easy going personality. He possessed Jack's dark eyes and easy smile, and had made it evident that he was going to leave a string of hearts in his wake when he got older. As long as the hearts broken weren't his sisters or his mother's Jack was fine with that.

It was now, as he lay with his Jojo in his arms, that he finally got to think of her and how she'd changed his life. Her body hadn't done any of the things a woman's normally did when they had kids- she was still as trim, small and slender as she'd been when he'd first met her. The kids had asked her to try on her wedding dress a few days ago- the only thing she'd had trouble fitting into was the confidence she'd worn that day. The dress still fit her like a glove- even eleven years and four kids later. She sighed.

"Content, Jojo?" She nodded against his chest before looking up at him.

"Very."

The sound of laughter caused them both to sit up and turn. The twins stood at the door, Jenna and Erica behind them; Col was in Jea's arms.

"What are you all doing?" Jack asked, as Jo curled back into his embrace. He ran a hand up and down her back, kissing the top of her head.

"Are we going to have a little brother or a little sister this time?" Jea asked. "Or both?" Eri shook her head.

"No. Mommy's done having babies. Unfortunately." Jack raised his eyebrows.

"Well, that's the first prediction of yours that I'm actually happy about, Sam." He said, removing his wife from his arms and going to the opposite edge of the bed. Jo sighed, snuggling to the blankets, tucking her arms beneath herself. She went to the bed and sat down beside her mother, bouncing beside her.

"You don't want anymore babies, Mommy?" She asked, as Jo reached out and stroked her dark curls.

"No. I don't. I've had enough babies for one lifetime. I'm perfectly happy with the ones I have."


	32. Chapter 32

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 31.**

The bell jangled over the door to Cafe Diem. Allison and Zane looked up to see Jo and Jack enter. They slipped into a table in the corner, as four kids joined them. By the time their coffee arrived, a fifth child- a teenager of about seventeen- who slid in a chair next to Jo. She gave the older woman a quick kiss on the cheek, and then settled down beside her.

Zane turned back to Allison, who was listening to their six-year-old daughter tell a story, as her thirteen-year-old brother rolled his eyes. Zane sipped his coffee; he couldn't stop himself from watching the couple across the way. Even from this distance, he could tell Jo was still her same beautiful self. Everyone looked up as Adele's "Rolling in the Deep" broke out in the cafe. Quickly, the second oldest daughter lowered the volume on her tablet, and sunk low in her seat. Jack rolled his eyes. Vin brought breakfast for them, and he stopped and chatted with Jack and Jo for several minutes. When he returned to work, Jo looked up, to see two people slip into the cafe. Her eyes widened, and she got up.

"Mommy? What is it?"

"Jojo? Is something-" Everyone turned to watch. Slowly, Jo made her way towards the older man, her mouth open in shock. It took several minutes for her to find her voice, but when she did, all she could choke out was,

"Nick?"

The first man gave her a weary smile, "Hey Joey." Tears pricked at her eyes and she choked out a gasp of surprise. A moment of stunned silence filled the cafe before she rushed towards the man and threw her arms around his neck. He wrapped his arms around her waist and held her close. When he set her back on her feet, he held her at arms' length and stared at her. "Joey... our little Joey, all grown up..." He wrapped her in a hug, kissing her forehead. When she pulled away, she turned to the other man, who was watching her with a sniper's eye. She bit her lip, afraid to speak.

"Davie?" He chuckled softly, nodding.

"I can't believe it's really you." She went to him, throwing her arms around his neck. It had been years since she'd seen her brothers- all three had been deployed, two in the Army, one in the Navy- and she was finally experiencing the family reunion she'd so dreamed about. Eventually, she pulled away from her brother and quickly wiped the tears from her cheeks.

"So what have you been up to, Joey?" Nick asked, reaching up to tug on her ponytail. She shrugged.

"Oh the usual. Saving Eureka from near-fatal disaster... getting married, having babies... being a wife and a mother-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down." David said. "Married? Babies? Say it isn't so, Joey." He teased. She nodded.

"Yeah." Then, she turned and grabbed Jack's hand, pulling him towards her brothers. "Jack, these are my brothers- Nick and Davie. And this is my husband, Jack Carter."

"Nice to meet you both." Jack said.

"So you're the man that's corrupted our little sister with marriage and children." Nick said, giving the sheriff a grin. "I never thought I'd see the day." Jo rolled her eyes as Jack wrapped his arms around her.

"Kids?" Jo called softly. "Come meet your uncles."

Everyone in the cafe watched as their head of security was reunited with the two brothers she so dearly loved. Once they all settled down at the table, Jo asked,

"Where's Alex?" She watched her brothers share worried glances. It was David that spoke next.

"Joey, we have something to tell you. Is there somewhere private we can go?"

She took a seat on the sofa as Naill shut the door, and then joined his mother on the sofa.

"What did you want to tell me?" Jo asked, looking from one brother to the other. "Is this about Alex? Is he late? Did he miss his flight?" Neither said anything. Worry and fear began to fill her features, as she again looked back and forth between her brothers. "He is... okay, isn't he?" She asked, blinking back tears. "He.. Alex... he's just... playing a game, right? Like he used to, when we were kids, right?" She looked first to her older brother. "Nick?" When he didn't reply, she turned to her middle brother. "Davie?"

Gently, he took her hand, twisting her wedding ring. He took a deep breath. "Joey..." After a moment, he raised his eyes to hers. "Alex was killed." Her eyes widened.

"H..." She bit her lip to keep from crying.

"He was... in the market square with his wife, after training some of the Afgan troops with his regiment, and a suicide bomber... walked into the square... and blew himself up." Jo pulled away from her brother, shaking her head.

"No. Not Alex..." Jack, who had been listening from the kitchen, went to the sofa and reached down, squeezing his wife's shoulder. At the sudden contact, she jumped to her feet. "I... I have to go to GD. I... I'm late for work." She grabbed her jacket, pulling it on as she went to the door. "Come on kids, you're going to be late..."

"Jojo." She ignored Jack, tightening her ponytail and grabbing the car keys.

"Fargo needs me to go through evaluations for new members of my team... I told him I'd get right on it..."

"Jojo."

"I can't slump off on a job, that's not what I do-"

"Jo!" She fumbled for the door, unable to see for the tears in her eyes. After a moment, she slid to the floor, taking a deep breath. Jack rushed over and knelt beside her. "Jojo, you don't have to go to work. You just lost your brother-" She opened her eyes, staring at her husband for several minutes before standing and grabbing the door.

"I need to get those evaluations done for Fargo." And without a backwards glance, she rushed from the house.


	33. Chapter 33

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

The sound of gunfire rang through town. No one dared go out to see what was going on, or if anyone was in danger. Mainly because the majority of the other residents in town had seen the head of GD security driving through town towards the woods. Everyone knew better than to go after her. Even her husband, who had delt with her outbursts- or lack there of- before.

Everyone except Zane.

He followed the sound of the gunshots, until he came upon Jo, standing several feet from a tree. He watched her take aim and fire. Bark shattered, flying from the thick trunk as the bullet hit. She lowered the gun and slid a few more bullets into the chamber, before sliding it closed and taking aim again. He said nothing, just slipped up behind her. She gasped and turned to him, just as the bullet hit the bark.

"Are you okay?" She sighed, catching her breath. After a moment, she said,

"Fine. Just fine." She loaded the gun again and aimed.

"You're not fine, Jo. Something's obviously upset you."

"I'm not upset about anything."

Bark flew everywhere as another bullet hit. He sighed, sticking his hands in his pockets. "Did you get some bad news?" She stopped, glancing at him out of the corner of her eye.

"No. Everything's fine."

Zane thought a moment. Then, he moved towards his former lover and reached out, laying a hand on her shoulder. She jumped. Turning, she found herself staring into Zane's worried eyes.

"If you ever need to talk about anything and you don't want to talk to Carter, you can always talk to me. You know that right?" She nodded.

They stared at each other for several minutes before she pulled away and turned back to her target practice.

Jack looked up when the door clicked shut. His wife stood in the doorway, her handgun dangling in her fingers. Her long dark hair was pulled back in a hasty ponytail, and she was trying desperately not to cry. He didn't say anything, didn't move towards her, knowing that if he did, she'd flee. Better to stay put and let her reach for him than to go to her and have her run. She took a deep, shaky breath, and the empty handgun dropped to the floor at her feet. She took another deep breath, before sliding to the floor.

After a moment,

"Jojo?" She looked up at him through tear-filled eyes. Her lower lip quivered and she shook her head.

_"Jack..."_

He went to her, kneeling down in front of her as she reached out to him. Her arms went tight around his neck, and he held her close, tangling his fingers in her hair. He held her close, kissing her hair._ "He's dead! My brother's dead! I just lost my brother! I just..."_

"I know, love. I'm so sorry."

She looked up at him. "No you don't know! I lost my brother! Alex is dead! My... Alex is dead! Jack, I... Why him? Why Alex? It's not fair, Jack! It's not fair!"

She broke down fully, Jack gathered his wife in his arms and held her, rocking back and forth. She buried her face in his chest, clinging to him as though her life depended on it.

"I know. It's not fair, Jojo. He didn't deserve to die young. No one does. But he loved you, and you love him. And he knew that."After a moment, he pulled away to look at her, lifting her chin. "Jojo, he loves you. Dead or alive, he always will." She nodded, burying her face in his chest.


	34. Chapter 34

**Rifiuto: Non Miriena**

**Thanks to Ghostrider for reviewing 33. **

"Hi Daddy."

He looked up, to see Jenna enter the kitchen. He smiled at her and poured a second cup of coffee. She sat next to him and took a sip.

"Hey sweetie. Mommy still asleep?" She nodded. They sat in silence for several minutes before she turned to him and asked,

"Daddy? Mommy's going to be okay, isn't she?" He reached out and took her hand.

"Mommy is going to be fine, Jea. She's strong. She'll get through this. Just... give her time." They drank their coffee in silence, enjoying the time together, without the three youngest talking or trying to engage them in conversation. It reminded Jack of when it was just he and Jo and Jenna, even before Erica had been thought of. Back when Senator Wen called off the search for the Astreaus crew and Jo and Jack had needed someone to turn to. Back when they first found comfort in each others' arms. Back when they fell in love.

And now, he looked at the little girl sitting across from him; the little girl he'd helped raise from the time she was born. In another year, she'd graduate from high school and go off to college. It didn't seem real, that his children were growing up. After a moment, he said,

"Everything going okay, Jea?" She nodded.

"Yeah. I... I just... I'm worried about Mommy. She... she hasn't..."

"I know. She hasn't been doing well since she found out about Alex's death. Working and shooting, but that's about it."

"Can't you do something, Daddy? Talk to her?" Jea asked, leaning towards her father.

"Talk to who?" The pair looked up, to see Jo enter the kitchen, in a tank top and a pair of shorts. Her hair was pulled back in a messy ponytail. Even two weeks after learning about Alex's death, she was still crying herself to sleep. Her eyes were red and she sniffled, making her way towards her husband. He motioned to her, and she went to him, settling on his lap. Sighing, she rested her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes briefly.

"How are you doing, Jojo?" He asked softly, gently squeezing her waist. She shrugged.

"You okay, Mommy?" Jea asked, worried. Jo nodded.

"I'm okay, baby. Just tired." She yawned, before getting up and grabbing a cup from the cupboard. After a moment, she poured a cup of coffee and took a seat between her husband her daughter. They both watched her for several minutes before Jack reached out and took her hand, squeezing. She gave them both a quick smile. After finishing her coffee, she got up and went to the stairs. "I love you, both of you, you know that?" She asked, turning back to them. Jack nodded.

"We know."

She looked up at the sound of her door closing. Allison stood in the doorway, watching her.

"Yes? Is there something I can help you with, Dr. Blake?" She asked, sitting up from her paperwork. Allison nodded, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She went to the desk.

"Actually, there is, Jo. We need to talk." The head of security narrowed her eyes.

"We don't need to talk about anything." Allison closed her eyes, sighing.

"Please, Jo. Just... just hear me out. That's all I'm asking. Please." The younger woman thought a moment, before tossing her pen onto her desk and leaning back.

"Fine, you have five minutes. So talk."

"Five minutes! Jo, be reasonable!"

"Talk!"

The doctor fell silent for a moment, before nodding. "Look, Jo, I know... I know that when we first returned, I was... horrible to you about Jack."

"Horrible?" Jo asked, crossing her arms over her chest and raising her eyebrows. "You weren't horrible, Allison, you were a complete and absolute _bitch_."

"I... I know, and I'm sorry... I just... I was... going through a lot. Coming back after four years and seeing you... kissing Jack in the living room that night... it..."

"Wait, you _saw us_?" Jo said, sitting up and leaning on the desk towards her nemesis. "And you didn't_ say_ anything?"

"I told Jack the next morning at breakfast. And he... gently informed me that he was in love with you. And that... he wanted to spend the rest of his life with you. I didn't want to accept it, so for a time, I didn't."

"Obviously, from the way you acted afterwards." Jo said, standing.

"I know. I'm sorry, Jo. I just... I didn't want to believe that... that he..."

"Loves me." Jo finished going around the desk and stopping in front of her, arms crossed over her chest. Allison nodded.

"And you're in Jenna's life... and I didn't want to take her away from you. You were a family, and I didn't fit in anymore. I was jealous and hurt and..."

She relaxed when she shut the door behind her and her children rushed towards her. After a long day at work, all she wanted was to spend time with her family.

"Hey Jojo." She accepted the kiss Jack gave her as he joined their kids, wrapping her in his arms. "How was your day?" She gently pushed her kids back towards the kitchen and turned to him.

"We need to talk."

The strong aroma of coffee wafted up towards her nose, and she sighed.

"Wait, back up, so Allison came by your office and apologized for all the pain she'd put us through?" Jo nodded as Jack returned to his seat. The kids were outside playing; Jenna and Erica sat together on a rock, gossiping.

"Yes. About everything. From... going after me to... trying to disrupt our wedding... all of it. Every last detail. She admitted to all of it." After Jack listened to Jo's account, he asked,

"So, what did you do?" She sighed, looking down at his wedding ring and reaching out to lay her hand over his.

"I accepted her apology and we... called a truce. We're... going to try to be friends."


	35. Chapter 35

**Rifiuto: Non ****Miriena**

******Thanks to Ghostrider and Addy for reviewing 34.**

"We've worked something out."

Jack looked up from his paper as Jo slid into the seat across from his desk. "You and _who_?" He asked, dropping his paper.

"Allison and I."

"And, what did you two work out?"

Jo reached out and took his hand. "Joint custody." He raised an eyebrow.

"Joint custody?" She nodded. It'd been two weeks since the two women had talked, and in that time, they'd both agreed to tell their respective partners- Jack and Zane- of what they'd worked out.

"Yes. Joint custody. Between us and Allison. No courtroom, no battle, just a good old-fashioned agreement between friends over sharing custody of her daughter. We have Jea and then Allison and Zane have Jea for a few days or a few weeks. Everyone's happy and Jea gets to spend time with her mom."

"And what brought this on?" Jack asked, squeezing her hand. Jo's eyes misted over.

"I know what it's like to be shuffled from one parent to another at Jea's young age. Being sent from my dad's house to my mom's trailer because I had to be. Watching my dad struggle to play both parental roles and then walking in on my mom shooting up in the bathroom with the heroin her current boyfriend supplied her. Hiding in my brothers' rooms when I was little, covering my ears to keep from hearing the threats they hurled at each other. Coming home to find her trying to slash his throat with a butcher knife, or slamming her fist into the wall because she missed his face. Sitting through the court hearings and custody disputes, being shuffled from foster home to foster home while the judge worked out who should have us. Weekly visitations with my mom that weren't even visitations because she was so high on drugs that she couldn't see straight. Dad finally getting custody and getting calls from Mom that were nothing but drug-induced ramblings. And then having to come down to the morgue to identify her body when she finally died of an overdose."

Tears slipped down her cheeks and Jack reached up, gently wiping the tears away. "Oh, Jo... I knew your childhood was difficult, but I didn't know how much. I'm so sorry, Jojo. I'm so, so sorry."

She sniffled, shrugging. "I don't want Jea to go through that-"

"She won't, Jo. We all love her. Nothing like that will ever happen to her. I promise."

"I... I know. But... but _I did_. And it was _hell_. And I know it wouldn't happen to Jea, but... but I worry. I'm afraid she's... I was afraid that Jea would go through what I went through. That's why I went into the army as soon as I could. I loved my dad, but it was a way to escape the pain I'd gone through as a kid. She died when I was nine, but, but still..."

He sighed. "I know you had a rough childhood. But Jea has people who love her. We're not drug addicts, we don't want to put her through a custody battle that gets ugly. We want to love her. All of us. Jea is loved by all of us- Allison, and Zane and Grace and you and me and Vincent and Henry, and Holly and Fargo... we all love her. She'll be fine."

Jo nodded. "Okay."

"You can't go, Jea! We love you!"

Jenna laughed, holding her cap down as Collin wrapped his arms around her in a hug.

"I'm not going very far away-"

"_Yale isn't very far away_?" Eri asked, hands on her hips. "It's in _New Haven_, Jea. Connecticut is... _thirteen states away from Oregon_. Fourteen if you count _Washington_." Jack chuckled as his daughters bickered.

A year had passed since Jo and Allison had called their truce, and Jenna had just graduated high school, and was set to catch a flight to Yale in a week to start her degree in Medicine. Eri had already recieved her acceptance letter to Princeton, and would graduate the following year, bound for New Jersey. Danielle and Niall were going to rival univerities- also Ivies. Niall was eyeing Columbia while Danielle was already filling out the application to Brown. Jack still couldn't believe that the little girl he'd helped raise from birth was finally going off to college.

"All right, all right, that's enough! Get together with the graduate!" Allison called. The kids did, their arms around each other as Allison snapped several pictures. After a moment, her son Nicholas joined them.

Jo, meanwhile, had slipped into the woods, gun in hand. The party going on at the smart house had gotten too claustraphobic for her, and she needed time to think. She fired several rounds, sending bark flying as her thoughts ran rampant. Moments passed, with only the sound of gunshots to break the silence. But when footsteps sounded behind her, she turned, aiming the gun.

"It's just me. It's only me." She lowered the gun as Zane held up his hands. "How are you doing?" He asked, joining her. She sighed, and began filling another round into the gun.

"Fine."

"You sure you're not upset that Jenna's leaving?" He asked, watching as she raised her gun. She fired off several rounds, before,

"My little girl is going off to Yale. And then Eri's going to Princeton next year; Anna and Ni are going to Brown and Columbia respectfully. Before you know it, my babies will be gone. Of course I'm upset, Zane."

"You shouldn't be." The two looked up, seeing Allison and Carter making their way towards them, the kids following.

"We'll be fine Mama." Jenna said, rushing ahead of the others. The only response Jo gave, was to return to her target practice. She fired off several rounds, moving closer to the tree as her emotions got hard and harder to control.

"Jo... Jo... _Jo!"_ She only stopped when Carter reached out and grabbed her hand, stopping her from pulling the trigger. She looked up at him. "You were always hard to control around guns." He whispered softly, giving her a soft smile. After a moment, she dropped the gun and buried herself in his arms, letting the tears come. "It's okay. She'll be okay. She's strong. Like you."

Eventually, he pulled away, and Jea rushed towards her, throwing her arms around her neck. "I love you, Mama."

Jo held her tight, not wanting to let her go. "I love you too, sweetie." Gently, Carter rubbed her back. He glanced at Zane, Allison and the kids, giving them all a smile.

"We'll be fine, Jo. We'll all be just fine."


End file.
